BX  8495   .B28  S7  1863 
Stevens,  Abel,  1815-1897. 
Life  and  times  of  Nathan 
Bangs,  D.  D 


r 


Digitized  by 

the  Internet  Archive 

in  2014 

https://archive.org/details/lifetimesofnathaOOstev 


LIFE  AND 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


By  ABEL  STEVENS,  LL.D., 

AUTHOR  OP  "  THE  HISTORY  OP  TnE  RELIGIOUS  MOVEMENT  OF  THE  EIGHTEENTH 
CENTURY,  CALLED  METHODISM." 


:\"  c  m  ]}  o  v  k  : 
PUBLISHED  BY  CARLTON  &  PORTER, 

2  0  0    M  U  L  B  E  K  It  Y  -  S  T  K  E  E  T. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1863,  by 

N.  D.  BANGS  and  E.  K.  BANGS,  Executors, 

the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York. 


PREFACE. 


Dr.  Bangs  was  repeatedly  advised  in  his  latter  years, 
by  liis  official  and  other  associates,  that  a  record  of  his 
life  would  be  important  for  his  Church,  if  not  for  himself; 
and  that  he  should  not  fail  to  leave,  at  his  death,  such 
notes  of  the  momentous  ecclesiastical  measures  in  which 
he  had  shared  as  might  aid  in  their  historical  illustration. 
When  it  was  made  known  to  me,  soon  after  his  decease, 
that  he  had  committed  to  me  his  papers  for  a  task  so 
important  and  delicate,  I  felt  no  little  reluctance  to 
undertake  it ;  for  though  an  author  is  held  responsible 
for  the  interest  of  his  book,  yet  in  biography  its  interest 
must  depend  more  on  its  subject  than  on  its  writer;  and 
I  supposed  that  the  life  of  my  venerated  friend  had  been 
so  absorbed  in  purely  ecclesiastical  labors  as  to  afford 
but  comparatively  few  incidents  of  biographic  and 
popular  entertainment,  however  interesting  its  official 
events  might  be  in  the  history  of  his  denomination.  I 
was  agreeably  surprised,  however,  in  examining  his 
abundant  manuscripts,  to  find  that  they  abound  in  per- 
sonal and  characteristic  facts ;  that  the  early  years  of  his 
public  life  were  spent  amid  frontier  scenes  of  extraordi- 
nary interest ;  that  his  vigorous  manhood,  for  nearly  half 
a  century,  was  identified  with  the  most  popular,  as  well 
as  most  momentous  measures  and  events  of  his  Church; 
and  that  his  declining  years,  singularly  prolonged  and 
serene,  prcsencd  the  picture  of  an  evening  of  life,  envi- 


4 


PREFACE. 


able  alike  to  the  philosopher  and  the  Christian.  I  have 
seldom,  indeed,  met  with  a  biographical  study  more 
entertaining  or  profitable  to  me  personally;  presenting 
a  more  effective,  a  more  symmetrical,  a  more  complete 
life.  If  the  narrative  I  have  drawn  from  these  mate- 
rials fails  to  make  a  similar  impression  on  its  readers,  I 
must  acknowledge  that  the  failure  is  chargeable  on  the 
author  rather  than  the  subject.  I  feel  assured,  neverthe- 
less, that  no  defects  of  literary  execution  can  essentially 
impair  the  rich  lessons  of  spiritual  life  and  consolation 
which  are  cited  from  the  original  manuscripts. 

By  the  license  of  the  title  of  the  book,  as  the  "  Life 
and  Times''''  of  my  subject,  I  have  introduced  into  the 
narrative  many  of  his  cotemporaries,  who  were  more  or 
less  associated  with  him  in  public  life ;  but  the  volume 
will  still  be  found  very  deficient  in  this  respect.  Re- 
peated requests,  through  the  public  press,  for  letters  and 
other  materials  from  his  old  associates  or  their  families, 
have  been  but  slightly  successful.  Should  there  be 
an  opportunity  hereafter  to  repair  this  defect,  I  shall  be 
happy  to  avail  myself  of  it.  I  would  also  invite  correc- 
tions of  any  errors  of  facts,  especially  of  dates.  No 
small  amount  of  my  facts  is  historical,  and  it  is  important 
for  the  history  of  Methodism  that  it  should  be  accurate. 
An  erratum  has  escaped  my  attention  on  page  70,  where 
Embury  is  mentioned  as  leaving  Ireland  in  1765.  The 
date  should  be  1760.  The  former  is  the  date  given  by 
most  of  our  historical  authorities.  I  have  long  been 
convinced  that  it  is  wrong.  It  has  been  corrected  in 
this  volume,  but  not  till  after  many  sheets  were  printed. 

Abel  Stevens. 

Mamaroneck  Parsonage, 
Nov.  2,  1863. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  L 

CHILDHOOD. 


Importance  of  his  Services  to  the 

Church   13 

Growth  of  Methodism  during 

his  Public  Life   14 

His  Puritan  Ancestry   15 

His  Father,  Lemuel  Bangs   16 

Character  of  his  Mother   18 

Household  Life   18 

The  Village  "Parson"   19 

The  Baptist  Pastor   20 

Jesse  Lee's  Itinerant  Adven- 
tures in  Connecticut   21 

Emigration  of  the  Family   22 

New  England  Life  and  Char- 
acter   22 

CHAPTER  II. 

YOUTH. 

Early  Emigration   24 

A  Home  in  the  Wilderness. ...  24 
The  Mother  and  Child  lost  in 

the  Woods   25 

School-teaching   26 

Studies  and  Amusements   27 

The  Methodist  Itinerants   28 

He  Satirizes  them   29 

His  Conscience  awakened   29 

Frontier  Dancing   30 

Dram-drinking   31 

Mental  Struggles   32 

Emigrates  further  Westward. . .  34 

The  City  of  Buffalo  in  1799   34 

Niagara  Falls  at  the  end  of  the 

last  Century   35 

CHAPTER  IH. 

LITE  IN  CANADA. 

Life  on  the  Frontier   36 

Effect  of  Scenery   36 

Mental  Aspirations  and  Strug- 
gles   37 

Doctrinal  Sophism   38 

Missionaries   39 


A  Clerical  Card-player   39 

Calvinism   39 

Conversation  with  a  Methodist.  39 

An  Itinerant  in  the  Wilderness.  40 

James  Coleman   40 

Continued  Struggles   42 

A  Frontier  Love-feast   43 

Joseph  Sawyer   44 

His  Counsels  to  the  Young  In- 
quirer   44 

A  Sister's  Usefulness   45 

Anecdote  of  John  Bangs   45 

A  Religious  Life  openly  begun.  45 

Persecutions   46 

Doffs  his  Cue  and  Ruffles  and 

becomes  a  Methodist   46 

Increased  Struggles   47 

Deliverance   48 

CHAPTER  IV. 

LIFE  IN  CANADA.  W 

A  new  Home   50 

Studies  Methodist  Authors  51 

Begins  Public  Labors   52 

Diffidence  and  Defeats   52 

Joseph  Sawyer   52 

Christian  Warner   52 

Sanctification   52 

Its  Importance  in  Christian  The- 
ology  52 

Wesley's  Opinions  respecting  it  52 
A  Churchman's  Opinion  (Note)  54 

Experience  of  it   57 

Call  to  Preach   59 

CHAPTER  V. 

FRONTIER  MINISTERIAL  LIFE. 

The  Methodist  Itinerancy   61 

A  Dream  about  Wesley   61 

Joseph  Sawyer   61 

Attempts  to  Preach   62 

A  Successful  Trial   62 

Accompanies  Sawyer  on  a  Cir- 
cuit  63 

Success   64 


CONTENTS. 


Page 


Defeat   64 

Attempts  to  retreat,  but  is  pre- 
vented  64 

Is  licensed  to  Preach   65 

Buys  a  Horse  and  begins  to  Itin- 
erate   65 

CHAPTER  VI. 

METHODISM. 

Origin  of  Methodism   66 

Voltaire's  Prediction   66 

Oxford  Holy  Club   66 

Methodism  and  Education   66 

The  True  Historical  Standpoint 

of  Methodism   67 

The  Lay  Ministry   68 

Its  Origin   68 

Its  Providential  Adaptation  to 

the  New  "World   69 

Introduction  of  Methodism  into 

America   69 

Whitefleld   69 

Philip  Embury   70 

Francis  Asbury   71 

His  extraordinary  Character  and 

Success   72 

Introduction  of  Methodism  into 

Canada   72 

Notices  of  Dr.  Bangs's  Fellow- 
laborers  in  Canada   74 

Coleman   74 

Wooster   74 

Anecdotes   74 

Powerful  Preaching   75 

Anson   76 

Crowell  and  others   77 

Early  Hardships  of  the  Itiner- 
ancy in  Canada   79 

CHAPTER  VII. 

FRONTIER  MINISTERIAL  LIFE. 

His  first  Circuit   80 

Niagara   80 

Forms  anew  Circuit,  Long  Point.  81 

Condition  of  the  Country   81 

Is  discouraged   82 

Attempts  again  to  Retreat   82 

A  Striking  Dream   82 

Singular  Conversions   82 

A  Man  Converted  on  Horseback  84 

Revivals   84 

Anecdote,  (Note)   85 

Opposition    85 

Lackington's  Memoirs   85 

Slanders  against  John  Wesley.  86 

A  Severe  Trial   87 

A  Startling  Dream   87 

A  Curious  Coincidence   9u 


Joy  in  tho  Wilderness   91 

A  Bravo  Rebuke   92 

A  Humorist  Confounded  and 

Converted   92 

Fate  of  a  Persecutor   93 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

FRONTIER  MINISTERIAL  LIFE. 

Removal    97 

Niagara  Circuit   97 

Remarkable  Answers  to  Prayer  97 
Sets  oft'  for  the  Bay  of  Quinte 

Circuit   98 

Is  detained  at  Toronto   99 

Loses  his  Horse   99 

Yonge-strect  Settlement   99 

Quaker  "  Testimony  "   100 

Visiting  from  House  to  House 

on  a  large  scale   1 00 

An  enraged  High  Churchman.  101 

Fallacy  of  "  Impressions"   101 

Frontier  Life  and  Manners   102 

Characteristic  Preaching   102 

Contest  with  a  Fiddler   104 

With  Ruffians  on  the  Highway  105 

Remarkable  Escape   106 

Hardships   107 

Adventures  among  the  Quakers  107 
Preaching  in  their  Meeting- 
house   108 

"Hirelings"   109 

A  Frontier  Dancing  Scene  110 

Interview  with  an  Indian  Chief  112 
Indian  Theory  of  the  Origin  of 

their  Race   112 

Extraordinary  Reconciliation  of 

a  Discordant  Church   113 

Change  of  Circuits   114 

CHAPTER  IX. 

FRONTIER  MINISTERIAL  LIFE. 

Bay  of  Quinte  Circuit   116 

Hczekiah  Calvin  Wooster   116 

Sanctification   117 

Lorenzo  Dow   117 

A  Powerful  Whisper   118 

Anecdotes   118 

Darius  Dunham   119 

Elijah  Woolsey   119 

"Canada  Fire"   119 

Attack  of  Typhus  Fever   120 

Singular  Cure   121 

His  "Double  Voice"   123 

What  caused  it   123 

Sufferings  of  the  Early  Itiner- 
ants  124 

Locations   124 

lie  Visits  bis  Parents   125 


CONTENTS. 


7 


The  Garrettson  Homestead  ...  126 
First  Attendance  at  Conference  128 
First  Impressions  of  Asbury..  128 

Ordination   129 

New  York  Conference  in  1804.  13U 
Appointed  to  the  River  Thames  130 


M.  CHAPTER  X. 

FRONTIER  MINISTERIAL  LIFE. 

Extent  of  his  Travels  

A  Missionary  to   the  River 

Thames  

The  Journey  

A  Moravian  Mission  

Opens  his  Mission  

Salutations  

Visits  a  Jail  

A  Capital  Criminal  

Detroit  in  1804  ;  

A  Family  Reconciliation  

A  Pestilential  Climate  

Gamblers  liceing  before  him. . 

Perils  by  Flood  

A  Narrow  Escape  

A  Winter  Retreat  

A  Night  in  the  Woods  

Sudden  Death  of  a  Scorner  . . . 


Description  of  the  first  Camp- 
meeting  in  Canada   

Extraordinary  Scenes  

His  Marriage  


CHAPTER  XI. 

FRONTIER  MINISTERIAL  LIFE. 

Attends  the  Conference  ' 

Offers  himself  as  a  Missionary 
to  Lower  Canada  

Taken  Sick  on  the  Way  

John  B.  Matthias  

Joseph  Sawyer  

Descends  the  St.  Lawrence  . . . 

First  Sight  of  Quebec  

First  Success  

Defeat  

Pecuniary  Embarrassments. . . 

Providential  Relief  

(ioes  to  Montreal  

Financial  Account  of  the  Year 

Services  in  Canada  

Founder  of  Methodism  in  Que- 
bec  


CHAPTER  XII. 

MINISTERIAL  LIFE  IN  THE  STATES. 

Visits  the  States   105 

The  Home  of  his  Father   165 


Appointed  to  Delaware  Circuit  165 
The  Primitive  Methodist  Min- 
istry   160 

He  attends  the  General  Con- 
ference   167 

Negro  Worship   168 

Personnel  of  the  Conference. .  168 
The  Old  Western  Conference  .  169 

M'Kendree   169 

His  Sermon  before  the  Confer- 
ence  170 

He  is  elected  Bishop   171 

Formation  of  the  "  Delegated" 

General  Conference   171 

The  "Restrictive  Rules"   172 

Diocesan  Episcopacy  proposed  172 
Returns  to  Delaware  Circuit . .  172 
Character  as  a  Preacher   173 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

MINISTERIAL  LIFE  IN  TFIE  STATES. 

New  York  Conference  of  1809.  175 
Appointed  to  Albany  Circuit. .  175 
Influence  of  Calvinistic  Opin- 

Their  Successful  Counteraction  17G 

A  Public  Controversy   176 

His  first  Appearance  as  an  Au- 
thor  180 

"  Christianism  "   180 

Conference  of  1810   181 

Its  Division   181 

Its  Districts   181 

Appointed  to  New  York  City.  182 
Its  Methodist  Statistics  at  the 

Time  and  at  his  Death   182 

Extravagances  in  Revivals  183 

He  corrects  them   183 

A  Significant  Dream   184 

Examples  of  Pastoral  Disci- 
pline   185 

Asbury   187 

Introduces    Catechetical  In- 
struction   188 

Ministerial  Studies   189 

The  Greek  Language   189 

M'Knight   189 

Adam  Clarke   189 

Prosperity  of  the  City  Churches  191 
The  first  Delegated  General 

Conference   191 

Its  Leading  Members   192 

Asbury   192 

M'Kendree    193 

Condition  of  the  Church  193 

Coke   193 

Election  of  Presiding  Elders. .  193 
Sketch  of  the  Controversy  on 
the  Question   194 


8 


Page 

Disapproves  the  Ordination  of 
Local  Preachers   196 

Historical  Importance  of  the 
Local  Ministry   197 

His  Services  in  the  General  Con- 
ference   198 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

MINISTERIAL  LIFE  IN  THE  STATES. 

Appointed  to  Lower  Canada. .  199 


The  War  interferes   200 

Sickness   201 

Failure  of  the  Canada  Appoint- 
ments   201 

Presiding  Elder  of  Ehinebeck 

District   203 

His  Success   203 

Enects  important  Reforms  203 

Combats  with  Calvinism   200 

Great  Improvement  of  the  Dis- 
trict  206 

His  Preaching  at  this  Period. .  207 
Publication  of  his  "Errors  of 

Hopkinsianism"   208 

Its  large  Sale   209 

His  Theological  Studies  and 


Abolition  of  the  Union  of 
Church  and  State  in  Con- 
necticut   210 

Visits  his  Native  Village  21 

Reflections  in  its  Graveyard  . .  211 
General  Conference  of  1816. . .  213 

State  of  the  Church   213 

His  Services  in  the  Conference  214 

Ministerial  Support   214 

Course  of  Study   214 

Founder  of  the  Periodical  Lit- 
erature of  American  Meth- 
odism   215 

Bishop  Coke's  Death  and  Char- 
acter   217 

Bishop  Asbury's  Death  and 

Character   218 

Dr.  Bangs's  Animadversions 

on  Asbury   219 

His  Opinions  on  the  Ministerial 
Vocation  and  on  Ministerial 
Support   220 

CHAPTER  XV. 

MINISTERIAL  LIFE  IN  THE  STATES. 

New  York  Conference  of  1817  222 
Appointed  to  New  York  City  222 

Studies   223 

Authorship   223 


"  Predestination  Examined". .  223 
The  "Reformer  Reformed". .  223 
Revises  the  Methodist  Hymn 

Book   224 

Revives  Catechetical  Instruc- 
tion   225 

Preaching   225 

Success   225 

"Down-town"  and  "Up-town"  225 

John-street  Chapel  rebuilt   226 

The  Methodist  Missionary  So- 
ciety founded  226 

His  Agency  in  its  Organiza- 
tion   227 

Great  Results  witnessed  by  him  229 
He  aids  in  reviving  Educational 
Institutions  in  the  Church..  231 

The  Weslevan  Seminary   231 

Sketch  of  Methodist  Education  231 
Becomes  Presiding  Elder  of 

New  York  District   233 

A  Schism   234 

The  "  Still wellites  "   234 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

SERVICES  IN  THE  BOOK  CONCERN. 

General  Conference  of  1820. . .  230 
Dr.  Bangs's  Services  during 

the  Session   237 

Is  nominated  for  the  Office  of 

Bishop   238 

Initiates  the  Cause  of  Educa- 
tion in  the  General  Confer- 
ence  238 

Elected  Book  Agent  and  Ed- 
itor   238 

His  Account  of  the  Opposi- 
tion to  Education   238 

Missions   238 

His  Improvements  of  the  Book 

Concern   240 

Sketch  of  its"  History   240 

Remarkable  Success  of  the 
Christian     Advocate  and 

Journal   243 

His  early  Embarrassments  in 

the  Concern  244 

Dr.  Emory's  Services  in  it   245 

Its  Destruction  by  Fire   247 

Its  re-erection  and  great  suc- 
cess   248 

"Vindication    of  Methodist 

Episcopacy"   250 

The  "Reformers"    250 

Dr.  Bangs's  disapproval  of 

their  Course   250 

His  own  Course   251 


CONTENTS. 


9 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

SERVICES  IN  THE  BOOK  CONCERN. 

Page 


General  Conference  of  1824...  253 

State  of  the  Church   253 

Dr.  Bangs's  Services  in  the 

Conference   254 

Education   254 

Prosperity  of  the  Book  Concern  254 
Re-elected  Editor  and  Agent. .  254 

His  great  Labors   255 

He  visits  Canada   256 

At  the  Grave  of  his  Father. . .  258 

Revisits  Canada   259 

One  of  the  Founders  of  the 
Methodist    Sunday  -  School 

Union   261 

Methodism      and  Sunday- 
schools   261 

Great  Growth  of  the  "Union"  262 
Results  of  his  Book  Agency. .  263 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

SERVICES  IN  THE  GENERAL  CONFER- 


ENCE of  1828. 
Dr.  Bangs's  Services  in  the 

General  Conference  of  1828  265 
The   "Radical  Controversy"  266 

Methodism  in  Canada  268 

He  declines  an  Offer  of  the 
Episcopal  Office  in  Canada. .  269 

Prosperity  of  the  Church   270 

Elected  Editor  of  the  Chris- 
tian Advocate   270 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

SERVICES  FROM  1828  TO  1832. 

His  numerous  Labors   271 

Editorship  of  the  Advocate...  271 
His  son,  William  M'Kendree 

Bangs,  enters  the  Itinerancy  271 

Recovery  from  Sickness   272 

"  Life  of  Garrettson"   273 

History  of  Methodist  Missions  273 
"  Defense  of  the  Church"  ....  274 
The  "Christian  Spectator"..  275 
General  Conference  of  1832. . .  276 

Services  at  the  Session   276 

Ministerial  Support   277 

Ministerial  Improvement  277 

Conference  "  Course  of  Study  "  277 
Progress  of  Education  in  the 

Church   278 

Missionary  Progress   278 

Foreign  Missions  projected. . .  278 
Declines  Nomination  for  the 

Episcopate   280 


Methodist  Quarterly  Review 

started   281 

Appointed  its  Editor   282 

"  Letters  to  a  Young  Preacher"  283 
Controversy  with  Bishop  Em- 
ory  283 

Defends  Theological  Educa- 
tion 287 

CHAPTER  XX. 
SERVICES  from  1832  to  1836. 
Great  Growth  of  the  Church. .  290 

Revivals   291 

Success  of  Domestic  Missions  293 

Foreign  Missions  begun   293 

Melville  B.  Cox   294 

The  Flathead  Indians   294 

South  American  Mission   295 

Invigoration  of  the  Church. . .  296 
Death  and  Character  of  Bishop 

M'Kendree   297 

Death  and  Character  of  Bishop 

Emory   299 

Destruction  of  the  Book  Con- 
cern by  Fire   301 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

MISSIONARY  SECRETARY. 

The  General  Conference  of 1836  304 

Dr.  Bangs's  Services   304 

Prosperity  of  the  Church   305 

Increase  of  Members   305 

Educational  Institutions  305 

Periodicals   305 

Missions   305 

Dr.  Bangs  elected  Missionary 

Secretary   306 

Dr.  Nast   306 

Remarkable    Success   of  the 
German  Methodist  Missions  306 

Travels  of  the  Secretary  307 

Animadversions  on  the  Min- 
istry  308 

Revisits  Canada   308 

Old  Scenes   308 

Reflections   309 

Journey  Southward   309 

Meets  one  of  his  Brothers   310 

Sea-faring  Adventures   310 

Bishop  Moore  of  Virginia  312 

Dr.  Sewall   312 

Slavery   313 

Bishop  Hedding   314 

Dr.  Fisk   314 

Dr.  Bangs  under  Charges  before 

his  Conference   314 

The  Antislavery  Controversy  315 
Missionary  Tours   323 


10 


CONTENTS. 


Pnge  ' 

Dangerous  Sickness  324 

Literary  Labors   324 

"Original  Church  of  Christ".  325 
"History   of  the  Methodist 

Episcopal  Church"   325 

A  severe  Literary  Trial   325 

Centenary  of  Methodism   326 

Extraordinary  Growth  of  the 

Denomination   327 

Results  of  the  first  four  Years 
of  the  Missionary  Secretary- 
ship  328 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

SERVICES  FROM  1836  TO  1844. 

Dr.  Bangs  at  the  General  Con- 
ference of  1840   331 

Robert  Newton   332 

Growth  of  the  Church   332 

Re-elected  Missionary  Secretary 332 
Elected  President  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  University  at  Middle- 
town,  Conn   333 

Resignation  of  the  Presidency  334 

Trials   335 

Appointed  Pastor  of  Second- 
street  Church,  New  York. . .  335 

Sickness   335 

Success   336 

Reflections   336 

General  Conference  of  1844   337 

Division  of  the  Church  338 

Its  Statistical  Growth   339 

Disturbances  of  the  Times  339 

Dr.  Bangs's  Course  respecting 
them   340 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

MATURE  CHRISTIAN  LIFE. 

Old  Age   341 

Ripening  Pietv  and  Happiness  341 

Sands-street  Church   342 

Trials  in  the  Pulpit   342 

Rails  of  Election  to  the  General 

Conference  of  1848   343 

Reappointed  to  Sands-street 

with  an  Assistant   343 

111  Health   344 

Division  of  the  New  York  Con- 
ference   344 

Dr.  Bangs  preaches  on  the  Oc- 
casion   344 

Further  Remarks  on  his  Trials 

in  the  Pulpit   344 

Presiding  Elder  of  New  York 

East  District   34 

Sanetification   34 

Visit  to  Mainaroneck   317 


Spiritual  Enjoyment   347 

Joseph  Sawyer  again   347 

The  "Present  State  and  Pros- 
pects of  the  M.  E.  Church  "  349  v 

Seventy-two  Years  of  Age   350 

Phoebe  Palmer   350 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

MATURE  CHRISTIAN  LIFE. 

Representative  to  the  Wesleyan 

Canada  Conference   354 

Joseph  Sawver   354 

Scenes  on  the  Route   354 

William  Case   355 

Great  Changes   355 

Scenes  in  the  Conference   3.")6 

Reminiscences   357 

Changes   357 

Recollections  of  Toronto   361 

Dr.  Ryerson   361 

Return  Home   362 

Illness   362 

The  Fear  of  Death  conquered  362 
Constitutional  Causo  of  that 

Infirmity   362 

Catholic  Sentiments   363 

Scene  in  the  Christian  Alliance  363 

Communion  of  Saints   364 

Enjoyment  of  Natural  Scenery  364 

Improved  Health   365 

Physical  Habits   366 

Religious  Enjoyment   366 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

MATURE  CHRISTIAN  LIFE. 

A  Visit  to  Garrettson's  Home- 
stead at  Rhinebeck   367 

Meetings  for  the  Promotion  of 

Holiness   368 

Christian  Experience   368 

Death  of  Dr.  Olin   369 

Comfort  in  Trial   370 

Addresses  Kossuth  in  behalf  of 

the  Methodist  Clergy   372 

Interesting  Conversation  with 

Kossuth   372 

Death  of  Susan  O.  Bangs  373 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

MATURE  CHRISTIAN  LIFE. 

Delegate  to  the  General  Con- 
ference of  1852   375 

The  Session   375 

Methodist  Press   376 

Takes  a  "  Superannuated  Rela- 
tion "  to  his  Conference   379 

Retrospect  of  his  Appoint- 
ments   379 


CONTEXTS. 


11 


Tranquil  Old  Age   380 

Death  of  William  M'Kendree 

Bangs   881 

The  "cleansing  from  all  Sin"  383 

Happy  Old  Age   3S4 

Seventy-fifth  Birthday  Reflec- 
tions   385 

Religious  Comfort   385 

Letter  from  Rev.  Wm.  Case..  386 

Old  Scenes  in  Canada   3SG 

Descendants  of  Embury   388 

"Golden  Wedding"   389 

Death  of  Nathan  Bangs,  Jr. . .  392 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

MATURE  CHRISTIAN  LIFE. 

Illness   395 

Testimony  on  Sanctification, 
and  the  Relations  of  Faith 
and  the  Witness  of  the  Spirit 
to  it   396 

Character  and  Death  of  Mary 
Eliza  Bangs   402 

Reflections   405 


Revivals   406 

Liberal  "  Donation  Visit "  407 

Birthday   409 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

LAST  DATS  AND  DEATH. 

Last  Days   411 

Writings  (Note)   411 

"Essay  on  Emancipation"  . . .  412 
Moral  Beauty  of  his  Old  Age.  412 

The  Last  Scenes   413 

The  Funeral   41G 

The  Burial   416 

Dr.  Laban  Clark   417 

Testimony  of  his  Associates  in 

the  Missionary  Cause   418 

Of  Francis  Hall,  Esq   419 

His  Writings   420 

His  "History  of  the  Methodist 

Episcopal  Church"  :..  421 

His  Character   422 

His  Personal  Appearance  423 

Conclusion   426 


LIFE  AND  TIMES 

OF 

NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


CHAPTER  I. 

IMPORTANCE  OP  HIS  SERVICES  TO  THE  CHURCH. 

Dr.  Nathan  Bangs  was  not  only  a  public  but  a  rep- 
resentative man,  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  for 
more  than  half  a  century.  During  nearly  sixty  years  he 
appeared  almost  constantly  in  its  pulpits.  He  was  the 
founder  of  its  periodical  literature,  and  of  its  "  Conference 
course"  of  ministerial  study,  and  one  of  the  founders  of 
its  present  system  of  educational  institutions.  He  was 
the  first  missionary  secretary  appointed  by  its  General 
Conference,  the  first  clerical  editor  of  its  General  Con- 
ference newspaper  press,  the  first  editor  of  its  Quarterly 
Review,  and,  for  many  years,  the  chief  editor  of  its 
Monthly  Magazine  and  its  book  publications.  He  may 
be  pronounced  the  principal  founder  of  the  American 
literature  of  Methodism;  a  literature  now  remarkable 
for  its  extent,  and  of  no  inconsiderable  intrinsic  value. 
Besides  his  innumerable  miscellaneous  writings  for  its 
periodicals,  he  wrote  more  volumes  in  defense  or  illus- 
tration of  his  denomination  than  any  other  man.  He 
became  its  recognized  historian.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  its  Missionary  Society,  he  wrote  the  Con- 
stitution and  first  Circular  Appeal  of  that  great  cause, 
and  through  sixteen  years,  prior  to  the  organization  of 


14 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


its  secretaryship  as  a  salaried  function,  he  labored  inde- 
fatigably  and  gratuitously  for  the  society,  as  its  vice- 
president,  secretary,  or  treasurer.  ^During  more  than 
twenty  years  he  wrote  all  its  Annual  Reports.  After 
his  appointment  as  its  resident  secretary  he  devoted  to 
it  his  entire  energies,  conducting  its  correspondence, 
seeking  missionaries  for  it,  planning  its  mission  fields, 
pleading  for  it  in  the  Churches,  and  representing  it  in  the 
Conferences.  It  will  be  monumental  of  his  memory  in 
all  lands  to  which  its  beneficent  agency  may  extend,  and 
if  no  other  public  service  could  be  attributed  to  him, 
this  alone  would  render  him  a  principal  historic  charac- 
ter of  American  Methodism,  if  not,  indeed,  of  American 
Protestantism.  He  was,  withal,  a  man  of  profound 
piety,  of  universal  charity,  and  much  and  admirable 
individuality. 

GROWTH  OP  METHODISM  DURING  HIS  PUBLIC  LIFE. 

When  he  began  his  public  career,  Methodism  reported, 
in  all  the  New  World,  about  eighty-six  thousand  com- 
municants and  three  hundred  and  fifty  pi-eachers;  at  the 
time  of  his  death  they  amounted  to  more  than  two  and 
a  half  millions  of  communicants  and  thirteen  thousand 
traveling  preachers.*  Few  men,  if  any,  have  longer  or 
more  successfully  labored  to  promote  those  great  inter- 
ests of  the  denomination  which  have  given  it  consolida- 
tion and  permanence.  If  greater  men  have,  especially 
in  his  latter  years  of  comparative  retirement,  more 
actively  represented  it,  no  one,  in  our  day,  has  embodied 
in  himself  more  of  its  history,  no  one  has  linked  so  much 
of  its  past  with  its  present.  It  has  been  justly  said  that 
he  ranks  next  to  Asbury  in  historical  importance  in  his 
Church.  Twice  did  his  brethren  offer  him  the  Episcopal 
chair,  which  Asbury  had  so  ably  occupied,  and  he  would 

♦Compare  "Minutes  of  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  1801,"  with 
Schem's  "  Ecclesiastical  Year-Book,  1860."  The  estimate,  in  the  text, 
includes  the  West  India  Islands  and  the  British  North  American  Prov- 
inces. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


15 


probably  have  been  elevated  to  it  had  not  his  character- 
istic self-distrust,  and  the  conviction  that  he  could  be 
more  useful  in  Iris  literary  labors,  interfered.  The  serv- 
ices of  such  a  man  merit  public  commemoration.  His 
history  is  a  public  property,  and  can  hardly  fail  to  be 
alike  interesting  and  instructive. 

HIS  PURITAN  ANCESTRY. 

He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Stratford,  Conn.,  May  2, 
1778,  and  sprang  from  a  good  Puritan  stock.  Edward 
Bangs,  supposed  to  be  the  first  American  ancestor  of  all 
who  bear  the  name  of  Bangs  in  this  country,  came  from 
England  in  the  Anne,  one  of  the  first  three  vessels  which 
arrived  at  Plymouth,  Massachusetts.  The  other  two 
were  the  Mayflower  and  the  Fortune.  The  passengers 
in  these  three  vessels  are  commonly  called  the  Pilgrims, 
as  they  united  in  forming  the  Colonial  Government,  and 
shared  in  the  division  of  the  colonial  lands.  The  May- 
flower arrived  in  December,  1620;  the  Fortune  in  No- 
vember, 1621;  the  Anne  in  July,  1623. 

In  the  year  1623  a  division  of  their  lands  was  made 
by  the  Plymouth  colonists.  Among  these  is  the  name 
of  Bangs,  (no  Christian  name  being  given,)  to  whom 
four  acres  are  assigned.  The  portion  of  "  Bangs "  was 
one  of  the  allotments  which  are  described  as  lying  on 
the  "other  side  of  town,  toward  the  Eel  River."  In 
1627,  at  a  public  court,  it  was  agreed  to  divide  the 
"  stock  "  of  the  settlement,  by  lot,  among  the  companies 
of  the  three  ships,  the  Mayflower,  the  Fortune,  and  the 
Anne.  The  settlers  were  divided  into  twelve  companies, 
and  lots  were  drawn.  Edward  Bangs  was  in  the  twelfth, 
with  twelve  other  persons.  In  1627  a  second  division 
of  lands  was  made,  of  twenty  acres  to  each  family,  in 
addition  to  the  former  apportionment;  Edward  Bangs's 
name  is  in  the  list  of  the  six  "  layers-out."  Such  are  a 
few  traces  of  the  American  progenitor  of  the  family,  to 
be  found  in  "The  Old  Colony  Records."    Slight  as  they 


16 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


appear,  to  American  minds  they  have  a  higher  signifi- 
cance than  any  aristocratic  heraldry  of  the  Old  "World. 

In  1644  Edward  Bangs  moved  with  his  family  to  a 
new  settlement  on  Cape  Cod,  at  or  near  the  spot  where 
the  Pilgrims  first  set  foot  on  land  previous  to  their  final 
landing  at  Plymouth.  This  settlement  was  afterward 
named  Eastham.  The  place  where  the  new  settlers  located 
themselves  is  supposed  to  be  that  part  of  Harwich  which 
is  now  called  Brewster,  as  the  descendants  of  Edward 
Bangs  for  several  generations  were  interred  in  the  burial- 
ground  of  Brewster,  where  some  of  their  tombstones 
still  remain,  bearing  legible  inscriptions.  Edward  Bangs 
was  probably  buried  there,  but  no  vestige  of  his  grave 
remains.  He  died  in  1678,  aged  eighty-six  years.  His 
descendants  are  scattered  over  the  United  States.  "I 
believe,"  writes  one  of  them,  "that  the  Bangses  have 
generally  been  active  and  useful  men.  I  know  many 
who  have  filled  important  civil,  military,  and  ecclesias- 
tical offices."*  The  name  is  still  familiar  on  Cape  Cod,  in 
Boston,  and  other  parts  of  Massachusetts,  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, Vermont,  and  New  York.  Mementoes  of  its 
Pilgrim  honor  are  preserved  with  reverent  care,  f 

HIS  PARENTS. 

Lemuel  Bangs,  the  father  of  Nathan,  left  a  genealogical 
record,  in  which  he  says:  "  My  father's  name  was  Joseph, 
of  the  town  of  Harwich,  in  the  county  of  Barnstable,  on 
Cape  Cod,  Massachusetts.  He  died  in  Phillips's  Patent, 
in  the  State  of  New  York,  in  1757."  Lemuel  Bangs, 
himself,  was  an  honest,  intelligent,  stalwart  blacksmith, 
and  a  staunch  Churchman  withal,  notwithstanding  the 
Puritanic  traditions  of  his  family.    He  relieved  the  toils 

*  "  Genealogical  Account  of  the  Family,"  prepared  by  T.  Dwight 
Bangs,  Esq.,  of  Lima,  N.  Y.  See  "Life  of  Rev.  John  Bangs,"  Ap- 
pendix. 

t  In  Worcester,  Mass.,  the  family  of  Edward  D.  Bangs,  late  Secre- 
tary of  State,  preserves  the  family  "  coat  of  arms,"  of  very  curious 
workmanship,  and  other  relics. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


17 


of  his  laborious  craft  by  a  habitual  devotion  to  books, 
and  acquired  sufficient  mathematical  knowledge  to  be- 
come a  successful  surveyor,  an  art  which  he  taught  his 
son  Nathan. 

Another  son,  Rev.  Heman  Bangs,  writes :  "  My  father, 
Lemuel  Bangs,  was  from  Cape  Cod,  Massachusetts.  He 
was  a  commissary  in  the  old  French  war,  an  adjutant  in 
the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  fought  for  the  impend- 
ence of  his  country.  I  have  sat  at  his  feet,  when  a  little 
boy,  for  hours,  hearing  his  war  stories  ;  his  graphic  ac- 
count of  Tories  and  Cow-boys  interested  me  exceedingly. 
I  conceived  a  perfect  abhorrence  for  both,  and  such  a  love 
for  the  Whigs  of  those  days,  and  the  freedom  of  my 
country,  as  has  never  cooled  in  my  heart  to  this  day. 
The  education  of  my  father  was  above  the  mediocrity  of 
his  times.  He  was  a  great  reader  during  his  whole  life, 
and  his  memory  was  so  tenacious  that  he  retained  what 
he  read.  One  instance  I  give  you.  He  sat  once,  in  his 
old  age,  hearing  his  son  Nathan  preach.  In  his  ardor  or 
haste  Nathan  made  an  incorrect  quotation  from  an  En- 
glish author.  My  father  noticed  it  at  once,  and  spoke 
right  out  to  him  before  the  congregation,  making  the 
necessary  correction. 

"  He  had  taught  school  and  surveyed  lands,  but  his 
business  properly  was  that  of  a  blacksmith.  He  mar- 
ried for  his  first  wife  a  Miss  Hall,  by  whom  he  had 
five  children,  all  of  whom  are  dead.  His  second  wife 
was  Rebecca  Keeler,  of  Ridgeiield,  Conn.  They  had 
nine  children,  seven  of  whom  experienced  religion  young 
and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church ;  four  suns 
becoming  preachers.  They  have  all  gone  home  to 
heaven  but  one  sister  and  myself.  My  father  was  strongly 
attached  to  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and  all  his 
children  were  baptized  in  that  Church.  When  the  Meth- 
odists first  came  into  his  neighborhood  he  was  bitterly 
opposed  to  them;  and  although  most  of  his  children 
joined  them,  lie  would  not  consent  to  hear  them  preach. 


is 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


because  they  were  uneducated.  But  the  old  man's  prej- 
udices were  overthrown  when  his  son  Nathan  came  down 
from  Canada  a  Methodist  preacher.  He  consented  to 
allow  him  to  preach  in  his  house,  because  he  thought 
Nathan  had  some  sense  and  learning.  From  this  time 
he  went  frequently  to  hear  them.  He  was  a  man  of  strict 
integrity  and  truth ;  and  in  the  new  country  to  which  he 
moved  with  his  family  in  1793,  I  have  known  him  fre- 
quently to  call  the  scattered  neighbors  together  and  read 
prayers  and  a  sermon  for  them,  and  when  the  preacher 
was  absent  or  sick  he  would  read  the  liturgy  in  the 
church.  He  found  redemption  in  the  blood  of  Christ 
Avhen  he  was  about  seventy  years  of  age,  lived  many 
years  afterward,  and  died  in  the  faith.*  He  was  a  candid 
and  shrewd  judge  of  preaching.  I  remember  well  what 
a  cross  it  was,  when  I  first  began  to  preach  before  him. 
My  mother  was  a  noble  woman  ;  with  little  of  this  world's 
goods,  she  kept  her  children  comfortable  in  a  new  and 
poor  country,  and  lived  to  see  eight  of  them  grow  up  to 
man's  estate  ;  all,  but  one,  members  of  the  Church,  and 
half  of  them  ministers  of  the  Gospel.  In  1809  the  family 
moved  into  Upper  Canada,  where  she  died  in  the  faith, 
as  I  have  been  informed." 

HIS  CHILDHOOD. 

When  Nathan  was  about  four  years  old,  the  family 
moved  from  Stratford  to  the  parish  of  Poquanock,  in  the 
town  of  Fairfield,  near  Bridgeport,  Connecticut.  In  an 
autobiographical  sketch  he  records  that  his  earliest  recol- 
lection was  his  passage  to  this  new  home.  His  second 
icmembrance  was  characteristic  of  the  New  England  life 
of  that  day ;  it  was  of  his  first  walk  from  home  to  the 
district  school,  with  a  Bible  in  his  hand.  He  could  read 
it, ;  and  it  was  to  be  the  text-book,  not  only  of  his  school 
days,  but  of  his  whole  life.   He  had  an  avidity  for  knowl- 

»  He  never  joined  the  Methodist  Church.  The  reasons  he  gave  were 
his  age,  and  the  similarity  of  the  doctrines  of  the  two  Churches. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


19 


edge ;  but  the  severity  of  the  village  schoolmaster  ex- 
cited in  him  an  aversion  to  the  school.  "The  boys  were 
flogged  most  unmercifully  for  every  little  fault."  He 
acknowledges,  however,  that  he  himself  was  naturally 
irritable,  and  that  it  was  owing  to  the  determination  of 
his  mother,  "a  most  sensible,  resolute  woman,"  that  he 
endured  the  discipline  of  the  unrelenting  pedagogue  ;  she 
sometimes  drove  him  to  the  school,  whip  in  hand.  He 
records  with  affectionate  gratitude  and  admiration  her 
motherly  tenderness  in  all  other  respects,  her  skill  in  the 
management  of  her  household,  the  enjoyments  she  pro- 
vided for  her  numerous  circle  of  children,  the  competence 
which  her  economy  secured  to  their  humble  home ;  but 
also  the  matronly  authority  and  firmness  with  which  she 
governed  it. 

THE  VILLAGE  "  PARSON." 

The  family  papers  before  me  afford  but  few  glimpses 
of  the  domestic  life  at  Fairfield  :  but  these  all  show  that 
it  was  virtuous  and  happy ;  of  the  genuine  type  of  the 
New  England  life  of  that,  and,  it  may  be  added,  of  our 
day.  The  father,  after  the  labors  of  the  anvil,  spends 
the  long  winter  evenings  in  his  favorite  recreation  of 
reading ;  he  instructs  Nathan,  apparently  his  most  hope- 
ful child,  in  matters  of  learning,  especially  in  the  mathe- 
matics of  surveying  ;  he  teaches  him  the  lessons  of  the 
Bible,  and  trains  him  in  the  habit  of  reading  it  through 
once  a  year.  He  holds  the  family  group  spellbound, 
late  into  the  night,  by  the  story  of  his  adventures  in  the 
old  French  war  and  the  Revolution  ;  and  fails  not  to 
inspire  them  with  enthusiastic  love  of  Washington  and 
their  country,  and  with  detestation  of  all  tories  and  trai- 
tors. The  "parson"  of  the  village  occasionally  appears 
in  the  circle.  Nathan  recites  the  Church  Catechism  to 
him  on  Sunday  afternoons.  "  I  owe,"  he  writes,  "  much 
of  that  religious  bias  by  which  my  mind  was  afterward 
swayed,  to  this  fact."  •  The  parson,  however,  did  not 


20 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OK 


come  up  to  his  ideal  of  an  apostle.  He  was  very  kindly 
disposed  toward  the  young  people  of  his  parish ;  he 
approved  of  their  dancing  parties,  and  favored  the  vil- 
lage fiddler.  The  latter  was  sometimes  permitted  to 
perform  in  the  parsonage  while  the  youth  of  the  parish 
"  tripped  it  on  the  light  fantastic  toe ;"  and  the  few  vil- 
lage churchmen  often  "drank  to  excess,"  and  were  given 
to  card  playing.  At  "pastoral  visitations"  to  the  Bangs 
family,  the  fiddler  and  the  young  men  and  maidens  of 
the  parish  would  close  the  evening  in  the  highest  spirits 
under  the  smiles  of  the  indulgent  parson  ;  while  the  lat- 
ter, and  the  equally  indulgent  blacksmith,  would  con- 
duct elaborate  arguments  among  the  older  guests  in 
defense  of  the  happiness  and  hilarity  of  the  young  peo- 
ple. "  The  young  people,"  concluded  the  parson,  "  must 
have  some  amusement,  and  they  may  as  well  have  this  as 
any  other."  "  Thus  was  I  taught  in  my  youth,"  wrote 
Nathan  in  later  years. 

THE  BAPTIST  PASTOR. 

The  Baptist  preacher  of  the  village,  a  very  different 
character,  occasionally  sat  in  the  family  group  at  the 
winter  evening  hearth.  He  was  "a  good,  pious  man, 
though  of  small  abilities  as  a  preacher,"  writes  Dr. 
Bangs.  "  The  impression  of  his  conversation  and  preach- 
ing lias  never  been  effaced  from  my  mind.  I  think 
I  can  see  him  now,  very  aged,  with  a  long  visage,  few 
teeth,  strong  voice,  and  quaint  wit."  His  preaching  was 
home-directed  and  often  alarming.  He  was  fond  of  col- 
loquial theological  discussions,  and  held  many  a  sturdy 
argument  with  the  blacksmith  on  the  "  succession,"  epis- 
copacy, and  baptism;  exciting  the  curiosity  and  wonder 
i if  the  school-boy,  and  usually  bringing  the  debate  to 
such  a  conclusion  as  left  both  preacher  and  blacksmith 
claiming  the  victory. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


21 


LEE'S  ITINERANT  ADVENTURES  IN  CONNECTICUT. 

When  Nathan  was  about  eleven  years  old,  rumors 
became  rife  of  a  strange  man  who  had  come  to  the  state 
from  the  South,  and  was  traveling  through  its  villages  on 
horseback,  and  in  a  costume  of  Quaker-like  simplicity;  a 
very  "remarkable  man,"  who  preached  every  day  and  sev- 
eral times  a  day,  and  went  everywhere,  without  knowing 
any  person  ;  exceedingly  good-humored,  witty  even  ;  of 
a  most  musical  voice,  making  his  hearers  smile  or  weep 
as  he  pleased,  but  mostly  weep  ;  "holding  forth"  in  the 
court-houses,  the  school-houses,  sometimes  in  the  more 
liberal  village  churches,  but  oftener  under  the  trees  of 
the  highway.  He  frequently  lighted  the  court-house  him- 
self, and  then  rung  the  bell  to  call  out  the  people.  The 
pastors  and  deacons  valiantly  resisted  him  as  a  heretic, 
for  he  was  an  Arminian.  They  turned  his  discourses  into 
interlocutions  by  their  questions  and  disputations,  but  he 
confounded  them  by  his  tact  if  not  by  his  logic.  He 
scattered  the  village  wits  or  wags  by  his  irresistible 
repartees;  and  scores  and  hundreds  of  drunkards  and 
other  reprobates  were  reformed,  and  many  a  good  man, 
despondent  under  the  old  theology,  was  comforted  by 
the  refreshing  doctrine  of  the  itinerant  evangelist.  Many 
who  liked  his  theology  could  not  approve  his  preaching, 
because  he  acknowledged  that  he  was  not  an  "  educated 
minister."  The  pastor,  and  sometimes  the  village  lawyer 
or  doctor,  tested  him  with  Latin  and  Greek  phrases ;  he 
responded  in  Dutch,  a  knowledge  of  which  he  had  picked 
up  in  his  childhood.  They  supposed  this  to  be  Hebrew, 
and  retreated,  or  took  sides  with  him  as  competent  to 
preach.  But  above  all,  he  was  evidently  an  earnest  and 
devout  man ;  he  prayed  mightily  and  preached  over- 
whelmingly. This  evangelist  was  Jesse  Lee,  the  "Founder 
of  Methodism  in  New  England,"  the  results  of  whose 
labors  are  now  seen  in  almost  every  city,  town,  and 
hamlet  in  the  Eastern  States.    Lemuel  Bangs  was  not 


22 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


an  illiberal  man,  for  he  had  broken  away  from  the  Puritan 
Church,  but  he  was  given  to  books,  and  held  to  the  New 
England  traditional  reverence  for  education.  He  resisted 
the  temptation  of  his  curiosity  to  hear  this  wonderful 
itinerant,  because  Lee  was  not  educated.  Lee  came  to 
the  town,  induced  the  schoolmaster  to  send  word  by  the 
children  to  their  families,  that  he  would  preach  in  the 
court-house  that  evening,  and  he  did  preach  there  with 
good  effect ;  but  the  blacksmith's  family  were  kept  in 
close  quarters  at  home.  They  could  not  fail,  however, 
to  hear  of  the  doctrines  of  the  new  "  sect,"  which  was 
soon  "  everywhere  spoken  against,"  and  the  staunch  father 
was  to  live  to  see  nearly  all  his  children  in  its  communion, 
and  most  of  his  sons  in  its  ministry. 

NEW  ENGLAND  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER. 

Nathan  became  a  robust  youth,  of  athletic  habits  and 
active  mind.  He  had  succeeded  well  in  the  studies  of  the 
village  school,  and  his  father  fondly  hoped  to  be  able  to 
afford  him  a  liberal  education ;  but  the  increasing  wants 
of  a  large  household  began  to  press  heavily  on  the 
worthy  blacksmith's  energies.  He  was  compelled,  like 
many  of  his  eastern  countrymen,  to  look  westward 
for  a  new  home.  At  last,  in  the  thirteenth  year  of 
Nathan,  the  family  pulled  up  its  stakes,  and  "  emigrated" 
to  what  was  then  a  wilderness  region  of  New  York. 
.  But  the  character  of  the  boy  and  of  the  whole  family  had 
been  thoroughly  moulded  by  their  Puritan  life.  It  was 
now  next  to  impossible  that  they  could  fail  to  be  intel- 
ligent, virtuous,  industrious,  and  successful. 

"Diederich  Knickerbocker"  early  drew  pictures  of 
New  England  life,  designed,  as  harmless  caricatures, 
which  have  unfortunately  left  a  false  impression  of  its 
character  on  much  of  the  public  mind,  not  only  of 
Europe,  but  of  America  beyond  the  limits  of  the  Eastern 
States.  Soberly  and  literally  may  it  be  said  that  the 
mass  of  the  people,  in  no  other  community  of  the  globe, 


NATHAN  BANGS, 


2c 


nave  better  provisions  for  education  and  religious  instruc- 
tion, more  social  or  industrial  advancement,  more  com- 
fortable homes,  more  of  what  constitutes  the  intrinsic 
improvement  and  happiness  of  a  people,  than  the  Ameri- 
can states  formed  from  the  Puritan  Pilgrims.  The 
New  Englander's  peculiar  skill  in  business,  in  bargains, 
has  been  imputed  to  peculiar  avarice  rather  than  to  his 
peculiar  intelligence  and  enterprise;  but  no  people 
expend  so  liberally  on  schools,  churches,  public  roads, 
and  on  the  comfort  of  their  homes.  None  prize  educa- 
tion more ;  the  statistics  of  none  show  better  general 
morals ;  none  carry  with  them  better  elements  for  the 
formation  of  new  states  in  the  great  domains  of  the 
West.  One  third  of  the  population  of  the  nation  has 
sprung  from  these  people;  but  it  owes  to  them  two 
thirds  of  its  intelligence  and  enterprise.  The  severity  of 
their  climate  and  their  long  winter  evenings  give  a  pecul- 
iar importance  to  their  home  life,  and  the  universal 
diffusion  of  intelligence,  by  an  unsurpassed  system  of 
common  schools,  gives  to  their  in-door  life  the  charms  of 
books,  of  the  literary  journal,  of  music,  and  fireside  con- 
verse. Happy  the  children  who  carry  with  them  into  the 
world  the  reminiscences  of  such  homes !  Young  Bangs 
going,  for  the  first  time,  to  the  primary  school  with  the 
Bible  in  his  hand,  presents,  we  have  said,  the  best  type 
of  the  New  England  training  of  childhood.  The  primary 
Bchool  and  the  Bible  will  reveal  their  effects  in  all  the 
remainder  of  his  life. 


24 


LIFF.  AND  TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER  II. 

EARLY  EMIGRATION. 

The  emigration  of  a  New  England  family  was  a  much 
more  serious  undertaking,  in  that  day,  than  it  is  in 
ours,  though  the  "  far  "West "  was  then  but  the  interior 
of  New  York,  or  the  western  regions  of  Pennsylvania 
and  Virginia.  Adventurous  spirits — pioneer  hunters 
rather  than  "  settlers  " — pushed  beyond,  and  disappeared, 
with  ax  and  rifle,  in  the  distant  wilderness ;  but  most 
large  families  were  content  to  pause  within  the  frontiers 
of  civilization.  The  public  conveyances  were  poor,  the 
roads  were  bad,  and  travel  slow.  The  male  members 
of  the  moving  company  trudged  along  on  foot,  with 
knapsacks  on  their  backs,  while  a  large  wagon  conveyed 
the  women  and  children.  The  breaking  up  of  the  old 
homestead  was  often  a  scene  of  pathetic  interest.  There 
were  the  adieus  of  neighbors,  the  final  farewells  of  the 
old,  the  pledges  of  the  young  to  meet  again  in  the  far- 
off  lands;  the  benedictions  of  pastors;  and  the  rending  of 
a  thousand  endeared  local  ties.  But  the  adventures  of 
the  long  journey,  the  romance  of  the  new  wilderness  life, 
its  very  privations  and  hardships,  were  captivating  to 
the  imaginations  of  not  only  the  young  but  of  the  old. 
To  the  latter  such  a  domestic  revolution  seemed  a  re-be- 
ginning of  life,  to  the  former  its  real  beginning. 

A  HOME  IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 

A  boy  yet,  hardly  more  than  a  child — thirteen  years  of 
age — young  Bangs  set  out  with  his  oldest  brother,  "  the 
advance  guard "  of  the  domestic  party,  "  to  prepare 
the  way."     "  We  traveled,"  he  says,  "  a  hundred  and 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.P. 


25 


fifty  miles  on  foot,  with  our  knapsacks  on  our  backs,  and 
endured  no  small  difficulties  on  the  way,  but  safely 
arrived  in  what  is  now  called  Stamford,  Delaware 
County,  New  York,  in  the  autumn  of  1791." 

They  found  themselves  in  the  primeval  wilderness ; 
and  "  went  to  work,  preparing  log-cabins  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  family  during  the  winter,  which 
was  at  hand."  It  was  laborious  work  for  boys,  and  they 
had  hardly  got  one  of  their  rude  structures  erected  when 
it  Avas  destroyed  by  fire.  "  So  all  our  labor,"  he  writes, 
"was  lost;  and  when  we  saw  that  we  could  do  nothing 
to  save  it,  we  sat  down  and  wept."  There  were  a  few 
scattered  settlers  in  the  region  ;  "  they  sympathized  with 
us,"  he  adds,  "  and  turning  out,  helped  us  to  repair  our 
loss  ;  and  soon  my  father  arrived  to  cheer  us  with  his 
presence.  Still  later  came  my  mother,  with  the  rest  of 
the  family,  and  we  were  all  at  last  safely  domiciled  in 
our  humble  habitation.  Being  in  a  new  country,  hard 
labor  was  necessary  to  make  a  living.  Sometimes  my 
father  had  to  go  twenty  or  thirty  miles  to  obtain  bread 
for  us,  and  we  learned  thoroughly  the  hardships  and 
privations  incident  to  a  pioneer  life."  But  he  describes 
this  life  as  having  also  peculiar  charms.  Every  energy 
was  called  into  play — and  that  was  genuine  happiness. 
Nature  around  them  was  clothed  with  grandeur,  even 
in  the  midwinter.  The  scenes  of  the  wilderness ;  the 
mountains  which  stretched  away  to  the  cast ;  the  roman- 
tic streams  which  have  their  sources  in  that  country;  the 
deer  chased  by  the  hunter  over  the  snows  ;  the  wild 
music  of  the  birds  in  the  spring-time  ;  even  the  grand 
storms  at  night,  bending  the  forest  and  resounding  among 
the  mountains,  gave  interest  to  the  days  and  evenings  of 
their  solitude. 

MOTHER  AND  CHILD  LOST  IN  THE  WOODS. 

This  solitude  was  not,  however,  without  its  alarms,  if  not 
its  perils.  The  few  settlers  were  remote  from  one  another, 


2<> 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OP 


and  the  roads,  or  paths,  were  slight  and  often  obliterated 
by  the  snows  of  winter.  "  My  mother,"  he  says,  "  went, 
with  a  little  daughter,  to  visit  one  of  our  nearest  neigh- 
bors. On  returning,  night  overtook  them,  and  they  were 
lost  in  the  woods.  After  wandering  a  long  while,  they  sat 
down  in  despair  of  finding  their  way  out.  We  became 
uneasy  and  dispatched  a  messenger  for  them.  We  ascer- 
tained that  they  must  have  lost  their  way,  and  all  of  us 
turned  out  in  every  direction,  shouting  to  our  utmost, 
but  could  not  find  them.  Early  in  the  morning,  how- 
ever, they  made  their  appearance,  and  I  shall  never 
forget  the  countenance  of  my  mother  at  that  moment ; 
it  was  the  very  expression  of  grief  and  anxiety,  mixed 
with  grateful  joy.  She  informed  us  that,  failing  to  find 
her  way  home,  she  sat  down  in  the  forest,  covered  the 
child  as  well  as  she  could  with  her  clothes,  and  by  fric- 
tion kept  it  and  herself  from  freezing  during  the  long 
night,  for  it  was  cold  with  the  frosts  of  March,  and 
there  was  snow  on  the  ground.  She  had  heard  our 
voices,  but  could  not  decide  which  way  to  go  to  find  her 
way  out,  and  her  replies  were  too  feeble  to  be  heard  by 
us.  But  though  the  night  had  been  sad,  the  morning 
was  joyful  in  our  log-cabin,  and  we  ate  our  bread  with 
gladness." 

STUDIES  AND  AMUSEMENTS. 

The  hardy  labors  of  the  farm  were  a  good  physical 
education  to  young  Bangs;  and  his  intellectual  training 
was  not  neglected  during  the  long  winter  evenings. 
When  about  seventeen  years  old  he  was  judged  compe- 
tent to  be  a  teacher,  and  was  received  into  the  family 
of  a  merchant  near  Schoharie  as  domestic  tutor.  It 
was  in  a  Dutch  neighborhood,  and  afforded  him  inte- 
resting opportunities  of  studying  new  phases  of  hu- 
man nature.  "The  family,"  he  says,  "treated  me  with 
more  respect  than  I  deserved.  They  observed  some 
of  the  forms  of  religion;  at  least  'grace'  was  said 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


27 


aloud  at  every  meal,  by  one  of  the  children,  with  folded 
hands.  I  had  sufficient  leisure  to  indulge  my  riding 
passion  for  acquiring  knowledge  ;  but  I  also  indulged  my 
love  of  frivolous  amusements  among  the  neighboring 
young  people,  especially  dancing,  of  which  I  was  exces- 
sively fond.  I  suffered,  however,  much  disadvantage  in 
not  knowing  the  Dutch  language,  for  they  used  it  habit- 
ually among  themselves.  After  residiug  with  this  kind 
family  about  four  months,  I  had  so  far  gained  the  confi- 
dence of  its  head,  Esquire  Hardenburgh,  as  to  be  recom- 
mended by  him  to  teach  a  public  school.  I  took  charge 
of  one,  on  the  east  branch  of  the  Delaware,  near  what 
is  now  the  town  of  Roxbury:  a  romantic  region,  with 
mountains,  rising  on  either  side  of  the  valley,  robed  in 
dense  forests ;  the  Delaware,  a  mere  streamlet,  flowing 
along  the  vale  from  its  fountain  in  one  of  the  mountains, 
and  banked  with  rich  meadows  on  which  already  grazed 
herds  and  flocks.  Altogether  it  was  a  most  picturesque 
scene,  and  filled  my  imagination  with  delight.  I  can- 
not describe  the  emotions  I  felt  when  I  first  entered  this 
settlement  and  gazed  upon  the  grand  and  beautiful  out- 
lines around  me.  The  majority  of  the  settlers  were 
Dutch,  but  though  they  spoke  their  native  language 
among  themselves,  they  could  generally  converse  with 
me  in  English,  and  with  few  exceptions  they  treated  me 
not  only  with  respect,  but  with  hearty  rustic  kindness. 
I  entered  upon  my  duties  with  delight,  and,  as  far  as  I 
could  learn,  discharged  them  to  the  satisfaction  of  my 
employers.  But  had  my  lot  been  cast  among  a  different 
people  I  might  have  made  considerable  literary  advance- 
ment. I  hungered  for  knowledge,  but  the  general  igno- 
rance of  the  settlers  and  the  want  of  books  deprived  me 
almost  entirely  of  the  means  of  gratifying  this  taste. 
An  intimacy,  however,  which  I  formed  with  an  intelli- 
gent young  merchant,  afforded  us  some  opportunities  of 
profitable  and  delightful  intercourse,  in  reading  and  con- 
versation, on  subjects  which  came  within  our  reach. 


28 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


"We  met  together  once  a  week,  and  read,  and  strove 
hard  to  understand,  Locke's  Essay  on  the  Understanding. 
Having  learned  the  art  of  surveying,  both  theoretically 
and  practically,  from  my  father,  who  was  county  sur- 
veyor while  he  lived  in  Fairfield,  Connecticut,  I  taught 
it  to  my  friend,  and  we  used  to  amuse  ourselves,  at  least, 
with  mathematical  studies." 

His  knowledge  of  surveying  was  a  source  of  some 
pecuniary  advantage  to  him  in  the  settlement.  Much  of 
his  leisure  time  was  spent  in  measuring  lands,  dividing 
farms,  and  in  preparing  deeds  and  leases. 

"  But,"  he  continues,  "  these  advantages  were  more 
than  counterbalanced  by  the  evils  with  which  I  was  sur- 
rounded. Dancing,  card-playing,  and  gay  associations 
with  the  young  people,  and  the  almost  universal  custom 
of  drinking  ardent  spirits  (though  seldom  to  excess) 
drove  all  serious  thoughts  from  my  mind." 

THE  METHODIST  ITINERANTS. 

"  There  was  no  regular  religious  worship  yet  in  the 
settlement;  but  a  Methodist  itinerant  occasionally  reached 
us  and  gave  us  a  sermon,  and  a  small  Methodist  class 
met  in  the  neigborhood.  These  people  were  considered, 
by  those  with  whom  I  associated,  as  fanatics,  and  were 
treated  with  contempt.  I  would  sometimes,  however, 
go  to  hear  their  preacher,  and  I  remember  one  Sabbath 
morning  I  was  sitting  in  the  little  assembly,  listening 
with  much  sobriety  to  the  sermon,  when  a  witty  young 
man  at  my  side,  with  whom  I  had  been  on  a  'frolic'  a 
few  evenings  before,  whispered  in  my  ear  a  jocose  allu- 
sion to  the  gay  occasion,  whereupon  we  both  burst  into 
an  immoderate  laugh,  an  irreverence  which  I  never 
allowed  myself  to  be  guilty  of  willingly.  The  preacher 
stopped,  stamped  his  foot,  and  said,  'There  is  no  laugh- 
ing in  hell !'  I  was  ashamed  of  my  conduct ;  but  it  was 
only  an  example  of  the  manners  of  the  time  in  the  treat- 
ment of  the  Methodists." 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


20 


SATIRIZES  THEM  CONSCIENCE  AAVAKENED. 

He  had  but  little  scruple,  however,  in  privately  join- 
ing in  the  common  ridicule  of  these  supposed  fanatics. 
About  this  time  he  was  attacked  by  an  epidemic  disease 
and  suffered  seriously ;  but,  when  visited  by  one  of  his 
gay  comrades,  he  raised  himself  in  his  bed  and  "  made 
a  prayer  in  mockery  of  the  Methodists !"  Yet  he  records 
that  he  was  inwardly  wretched  during  this  apparent 
recklessness,  "troubled  with  a  secret  misgiving  that 
they  were  right  and  he  wrong."  He  could  not  get  rid 
of  a  certain  religious  thoughtfulness,  the  effect,  perhaps, 
partly  of  his  education,  partly  of  his  temperament,  and 
which,  immediately  after  this  profane  scene,  overwhelmed 
him.  In  a  few  days  he  rose  from  his  sick  bed,  but  was 
so  feeble  that  he  returned  to  his  father's  house  at 
Stamford  for  rest  and  medical  treatment.  There  his 
mind  was  smitten  with  anguish;  he  refused  to  eat;  he 
apprehended  death  as  at  hand.  "My  conscience,"  he 
writes,  "  awoke ;  all  the  sins  of  my  life  seemed  vividly 
brought  to  my  recollection.  Such  was  the  weight  of  my 
guilt  that  I  felt  as  if  I  should  sink  into  perdition.  For 
the  first  time  in  my  life  I  began  to  call  upon  God ; 
for  though  I  had  habitually  used  the  prayers  taught  me 
in  my  childhood,  I  haa  never  really  prayed  before.  God 
was  graciously  pleased  to  restore  me  by  degrees  to 
health.  After  my  recovery  I  felt  a  strong  desire  to  de- 
vote myself  to  his  service;  but  how  delusive  are  the 
snares  of  the  world!  I  did  not  long  yield  to  that  desire, 
although  I  have  no  doubt  that  at  the  time  He  gave  me  a 
measure  of  grace  and  peace,  for  I  felt  much  sweetness  in 
secret  prayer,  in  reading  the  Scriptures  and  other  relig- 
ious books,  in  meditating  devoutly  on  the  works  of  God 
so  grandly  spread  out  around  me;  and  I  could  not  but 
praise  him  for  his  tender  mercy  in  sparing  my  life.  To 
seclude  myself  from  company  and  spend  my  time  in  read- 
ing and  devotion  were  my  principal  delight.    But  the 


DO 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


rock  upon  which  I  was  wrecked  was  the  fact  that  I  did 
not  make  known  my  new  condition  to  any  one,  nor  seek 
to  associate  with  those  who  could  instruct  me,  from  their 
own  experience,  in  the  ways  of  godliness.  Having  failed 
to  confess  Christ,  I  '  grieved  the  Holy  Spirit.'  I  gradu- 
ally lapsed  into  negligence,  and  began  to  hanker  after  my 
old  pleasures.  I  evaded  my  conscience  even  in  prayer ; 
as  an  example,  I  may  state  that  I  was  invited  to  a 
Christmas-eve  ball  about  this  time,  and  actually,  on  my 
knees,  asked  liberty  from  God  to  attend  it ;  saying,  with 
Naaman,  'The  Lord  pardon  thy  servant  in  this  thing.' 
I  went,  but,  alas !  what  trouble  of  conscience  I  felt 
while  leading  off  the  dance !"  He  attempted  to  drown 
his  anguish  by  ardent  spirits,  and  by  plunging  into  the 
gayest  hilarity  of  the  evening,  but  he  could  not.  "  And 
though  I  continued,"  he  adds,  "  for  more  than  four  years 
in  this  state,  I  did  not  lose  my  convictions,  nor  did  my 
desire  to  serve  God  ever  become  extinguished." 

FRONTIER  DANCING. 

His  scruple  against  dancing  was  entirely  the  suggestion 
of  his  awakened  conscience.  He  had  been  educated  to 
esteem  that  recreation  as  quite  innocent.  It  was  approved 
by  his  father  and  by  the  strictest  Christians  of  the  settle- 
ment, as  was  also  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors.  A  con- 
siderable community  of  Scotch  Seceders  had,  by  this 
time,  settled  in  the  neighborhood  ;  and  no  more  rigid  sect 
was  known  in  the  nation  ;  yet  the  evening  ball  and  the 
social  dram  had  their  fullest  practical  sanction.  Almost 
every  week,  in  the  long  leisure  of  the  autumn  and  winter 
nights,  a  dancing  assembly  for  the  young  people  of  the 
si  t  I  lenient  was  held.  Religion  itself  gave  countenance  to 
these  occasions.  At  about  10  o'clock  P.  M.  the  father  of 
the  house,  attended  by  the  aged  members  of  his  family, 
would  enter  the  ball-room  with  the  old  family  Bible, 
brought  from  the  fatherland,  in  his  hand.  The  dancers 
would  pause  with  reverence,  listen  to  a  chapter,  join  in 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


31 


a  long  psalm,  hear  a  longer  prayer,  and  then,  after  a  few 
words  of  religious  counsel,  resume  the  sport  with  a  hearty 
"Good-night"  to  the  retiring  elders;  and  the  hilarity  of 
'.lie  company  kept  pace  with  the  remaining  hours  till  the 
dawn.  The  pastor  himself  would  sometimes  attend  these 
occasions,  and  after  the  prayer  would  take  his  leave  of 
the  dance-room  with  the  apostolic  benediction  ! 

DRAM-DRIXKIXG. 

As  for  dram-drinking,  the  good  repute  of  a  family 
for  hospitality  was  forfeited  if  it  offered  not  the  bottle  to 
every  visitor.  Drunkenness,  of  course,  coidd  not  but  be 
frequent  in  such  temptations ;  but,  though  treated  with 
much  lenity,  it  was  discreditable.  The  most  rigid  of 
the  Seceders  were  sometimes  overtaken  by  it;  and  if 
they  fell  into  the  fault  on  Saturdays,  which  was  most 
commonly  the  case,  they  were  likely  to  be  detected  the 
next  day,  for  their  strict  consciences  would  not  allow 
them  to  shave  on  Sundays,  and  their  neglected  faces  would 
tell  the  story  in  the  congregation.  Their  old  pastor,  a 
man  of  mighty  authority,  would  sometimes  point  them 
out  publicly,  and  thunder  at  their  self-convicted  sins  ;  not 
so  much,  however,  because  they  had  been  drunk,  as  be- 
cause they  had  deferred  their  self-indulgence  till  Saturday, 
and  thereby  risked  the  right  observance  of  the  Sabbath, 
lie  himself  had  his  freaks  with  the  bottle,  and  was 
kindly  disposed  toward  such  frailties,  if  they  M  ere  only 
not  allowed  to  interfere  with  his  Kirk  rights  over  the 
people.  On  town-meeting  days  and  all  secular  holidays 
a  large  liberty  was  allowed,  and  many  a  grave  Seceder 
availed  himself  of  it  among  his  hilarious  juniors.  The 
old  pastor  himself  forgot  his  usual  official  dignity  on  one 
of  these  occasions.  He  had  indulged  himself  so  freely 
among  his  neighbors  that  a  group  of  youths  in  the  street 
perceived  his  condition.  They  called  upon  him  for  a 
sermon,  to  be  paid  for  by  a  glass  of  brandy,  a  choicer 
luxury  than  whisky,  their  common  dram.    Taking  his 


32 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


stand  in  a  gateway,  and  sustaining  himself,  with  out- 
stretched hands,  by  the  gate-posts,  he  attempted  to 
"  hold  forth,"  but  ignominiously  broke  down.  As  it  was, 
however,  a  public  day,  and  the  disgraceful  scene  was 
venial,  he  was  only  fined  by  his  Church  authorities  some 
twelve  dollars,  and  resumed  his  usual  dignity  and  severity 
in  the  pulpit.  It  was  amid  such  examples  that  the  con- 
science of  young  Bangs  was  now  struggling  with  him 
for  the  life  of  his  soul. 

MORAL  STRUGGLES. 

He  had  heard  of  the  Methodists  while  yet  in  the  East ; 
and  here,  in  the  wilderness,  had  he  again  found  them  on 
his  track  ;  though  they  had  been  but  objects  of  his  ridicule, 
yet  he  had  listened  to  them,  and  now  could  not  escape 
the  lessons  they  had  taught  him.  He  was  to  meet  them 
again,  and  until  that  meeting — during  all  these  four  years 
in  fine — he  was  an  "  awakened"  man.  "Sometimes,"  he 
writes,  "  such  awful  apprehensions  of  God's  just  dis- 
pleasure would  seize  upon  my  soul  as  to  embitter  all  the 
enjoyments  of  life,  and  make  me  wish  for  annihilation. 
When  I  would  do  good,  evil  was  present  with  me,  and 
bore  me  away  in  its  toivent  toward  the  gulf  of  destruc- 
tion. No  one  can  tell,  but  he  who  has  felt  the  like,  the 
bitter  anguish  I  felt  while  wandering  alone  in  the  forests 
mourning  my  hopeless  condition ;  and  often,  while  in  the 
seeming  gayeties  of  life,  have  I  envied  the  dog  his  happi- 
ness. In  short,  I  went  on  sinning  and  repenting,  vowing 
amendment  and  breaking  my  vows,  until  it  is  a  wonder 
that  the  long-suffering  of  God  did  not  consign  me  over 
to  remediless  misery." 

There  are  few  men,  perhaps  none,  in  Christian  lands 
at  least,  who  do  not  know  more  or  less  of  such  expe- 
riences ;  for  "  it  is  the  Spirit  that  quickeneth,"  and  "  the 
manifestation  of  the  Spirit  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit 
withal."  They  are  epochs  in  the  lives  of  thoughtful 
men.    They  are,  indeed,  the  "awakening"  of  the  soul. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


33 


It  is  then  that  its  illuminated  sight  pierces  through  the 
vail  of  visible  things  and  sees  the  spiritual  universe — sees 
the  far-off  and  everlasting  realities  that  give  importance 
to  our  probationary  life,  and  significance  and  dignity  to 
death  itself :  as  the  astronomer,  by  telescopic  vision,  be- 
holds, beyond  the  range  of  the  visible  worlds,  the  shining 
of  other  suns  and  systems.  When  in  early  life  they  are 
profound, and  enduring,  as  in  this  case,  they  cannot  fail 
to  impress  the  whole  moral  man ;  the  heart  becomes 
more  tender,  the  conscience  more  scrupulous  ;  there  can 
be  no  little  sins  to  such  a  mind ;  all  truth  and  duty  take 
a  diviner  hue  in  the  light  reflected  from  the  higher 
worlds ;  life,  goffering,  death,  receive  their  clearest,  sub- 
limest  explanation.  It  should  be  no  matter  of  surprise 
if  the  mind,  suddenly  thus  awakened,  loses  somewhat 
its  tranquil  self-control,  and  becomes  even  morbid;  for 
so  purely  physical,  or  rather  animal,  is  our  ordinary  life, 
so  limited  its  view  to  material  and  passing  things,  that 
the  sudden  apprehension  of  our  relation  to  the  spiritual 
universe  and  of  our  everlasting  destination  in  it,  is 
dazzling  and  overwhelming  as  would  be  the  sudden 
breaking  away  of  the  clouds  and  outshining  of  the 
sun  at  noonday  to  a  man  who  had  always  lived  in 
darkness. 

Young  Bangs  seemed  now  for  the  first  time  to  under- 
stand why  he  lived,  and  why  he  was  to  die ;  and  the 
discovery  was  like  the  awakening  from  a  dream  which 
had  hithcvto  deluded  his  whole  life.  "  Though  immersed," 
he  writes,  "in  youthful  gayeties,  and  apparently  cheerful, 
yet  inwardly  I  felt  such  anguish  as  made  me  desire  death. 
I  often  wished  for  some  secluded  spot  in  the  desert,  where 
I  might  dwell  in  solitude  and  bemoan  my  sad  state  as  a 
sinful  man,  beyond  the  haunts  of  men.  In  my  occasional 
meditative  walks  in  the  woods  I  felt  the  truth  which 
"Wordsworth  puts  into  the  mouth  of  the  Wanderer : 

"  '  He  who,  by  willful  disesteem  of  life, 
And  proud  insensibility  to  hope, 
3 


34 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


Affronts  the  eye  of  solitude,  shall  learn 
That  her  wild  nature  can  be  terrible  ; 
That  neither  she  nor  silence  lacks  the  power 
To  avenge  their  own  insulted  majesty.'  " 

"  To  pass  over  many  incidents  of  this  period  of  my  life, 
I  will  only  remark  that  after  continuing  about  three  years 
in  this  state  of  mind,  though  well  enough  off  as  to  the 
interests  of  this  world,  I  again  returned  to  my  father's 
house  and  taught  a  school  in  the  vicinity." 

EMIGRATES  FURTHER  WESTWARD. 

"  In  the  spring  of  this  year  my  brother-in-law,  Seth 
Smith,  and  two  of  his  brothers,  determined  to  move  still 
further  westward,  to  Upper  Canada.  I  resolved  to 
accompany  them  ;  my  parents  gave  their  consent ;  and  on 
the  9th  of  May,  1799,  having  just  entered  my  twenty- 
first  year,  we  set  off.  It  was  no  small  trial  to  bid  fare- 
well to  father  and  mother,  brothers  and  sisters,  for  what 
was  then  deemed  a  distant  land.  My  father  presented 
to  me  his  surveying  instruments,  thinking  it  probable  I 
might  obtain  employment  with  them  in  the  new  country. 
We  traveled  with  arr-ox  team,  which  carried  our  goods, 
clothes,  and  provisions.  Our  progress  was  slow,  the 
roads,  after  leaving  the  Mohawk  Valley,  being  bad,  as 
the  country  was  but  recently  and  quite  sparsely  settled. 
"We  enjoyed  ourselves,  however,  very  agreeably  on  the 
way ;  the  vernal  scenery,  the  passage  aloug  the  streams 
and  valleys,  the  night  camps  in  the  woods,  "the  open 
air  life  with  its  keen  appetite  and  exhilarating  freshness, 
relieved  the  tediousness  of  our  slow  progress.  When 
we  arrived  at  Buffalo,  we  found  only  two  or  three  log- 
huts,  occupied  by  some  half-clad  miserable  people.  We 
crossed  the  Niagara  River  from  Buffalo  to  Fort  Erie,  at 
the  outlet  of  Lake  Erie;  and  so  we  were  in  a  strange 
land,  beyond  the  limits  of  our  native  country.  But  I 
believe  a  good  Providence  conducted  my  wayward  feet 
thither  for  my  own  good,  and,  I  hope,  for  the  good  of 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


35 


others ;  for  here,  in  the  remote  wilderness,  was  I  to  find 
the  light  and  peace  which  I  had  so  long  sought,  and 
thence  proclaim  the  same  blessings  through  most  of 
Upper  Canada,  and  in  many  parts  of  my  own  nation." 

•NIAGARA  PALLS  IN  1799. 

"  The  day  after  our  arrival  in  Canada  we  reached  the 
Falls  of  Niagara.  Here  we  made  a  halt,  and  went  down 
to  the  river's  bank  to  view  the  stupendous  scene.  The 
water  comes  rushing  and  foaming  down  for  two  or  three 
miles,  before  it  reaches  the  chute,  where  it  plunges,  in  two 
immense  masses,  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet  into  the 
yawning  gulf,  and  then  sweeps  away,  in  whirling  eddies 
and  billows,  about  seven  miles,  into  Lake  Ontario.  We 
stood  in  silent  awe  as  we  gazed  upon  this  wonder  of 
creation.  I  lay  down  upon  Table  Rock,  which  shelved 
over  a  part  of  the  frightful  abyss  and  shook  with  the 
unceasing  thunder  of  the  waters  ;  and  as  I  looked  down, 
I  became  dizzy  and  appalled.  The  rock  has  changed 
much  since  that  day.  No  description  of  this  grand 
scene,  that  I  have  seen,  approaches  the  reality  as  it  thus 
appeared  to  me  at  the  close  of  the  last  century.  Its 
incessant  thunder,  heard  for  miles  around,  its  solemn 
grandeur,  its  indescribable  combination  of  power,  beauty 
and  sublimity,  overpowered  the  mind,  and  silence  was  the 
best  expression  of  the  spectator.  At  that  time  there  was 
no  house  near  the  falls  on  either  side  of  the  river,  but  they 
burst  upon  the  view  of  the  visitor  in  the  midst  of  the 
aboriginal  wildness  of  nature.  I  have  seen  them  perhaps 
a  hundred  times  since ;  the  falls  themselves  are  sacred 
from  the  hand  of  man,  but  how  have  their  surroundings 
been  changed  ?  Now  there  are  busy  villages  on  both 
shores,  a  suspension  bridge  in  sight,  a  railroad  upon  it, 
a  ferry  across  the  river  almost  beneath  the  cataract,  a 
bridge  from  the  American  side  to  Goat  Island.  Nearly 
every  thing  around  has  changed ;  but  the  grand,  the 
awful  falls,  thunder  on." 


86 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER  IH. 

LIFE  IN  CANADA. 

He  had  thus  plunged  further  into  the  western  wilder 
ness,  but  more  for  the  diversion  and  relief  of  his  troubled 
mind,  than  from  motives  of  adventure  or  gain.  He 
could  not,  however,  escape  from  himself.  He  was  here 
still  surrounded  with  the  native  grandeur  and  solemn 
solitude  of  nature.  Contemplative  minds  behold  in 
these  vast  and  tranquil  scenes  a  reflection  of  the  infinite, 
and  experience  not  only  a  poetic,  but  a  religious  thought- 
fulness,  often  tinged  with  sadness,  if  not  with  melancholy. 
Reverence  for  nature  rises  into  awe  for  its  Creator  ;  the 
contrasted  pettiness  of  the  ordinary  works  and  pursuits 
of  man  startles  the  soul,  and  awakens  aspirations  for 
something  better.  The  pioneer  populations  of  the  Amer- 
ican frontiers  have  always  shown  a  profound  suscepti- 
bility to  religious  impressions,  and  among  the  many 
heroic  and  saintly  men  who  have  illustrated  the  itiner- 
ant ministry  of  Methodism,  none  have  exhibited  more 
religious  sensibility,  more  eloquent  pathos,  more  saintli- 
ness  or  heroism,  than  those  who  have  come  forth  from 
the  grand  scenes  of  the  far  West.  To  young  Bangs 
these  scenes  had  an  irresistible  and  pensive  fascination, 
and  in  many  a  lonely  woodland  walk  did  he  prayer- 
fully review  those  thoughts  of  good  and'  evil,  of  the 
soul  and  God,  which,  for  nearly  four  years,  had  been 
transforming  life,  death,  and  the  whole  universe  to  his 
mind.  And  hep  also  was  he  again  to  meet  the  perse- 
cuted people  whom  he  had  ridiculed,  who  seemed  so 
strangely  to  beset  his  path,  and  who  were,  at  last,  to 
afford  his  anxious  spirit  its  only  genuine  relief,  and 


NATHAN  BANGS,  CD. 


37 


open  before  him  the  successful  career  of  his  public 
life. 

"  Not  finding  employment  as  a  surveyor,"  he  writes, 
"  I  took  a  school,  hi  a  Dutch  neighborhood,  about  ten 
miles  from  Newark,  at  the  head  of  Lake  Ontario,  six 
miles  from  Niagara  Falls.  The  mournful  thoughts 
which  passed  through  my  mind  while  wandering  alone 
in  the  forests  of  this  strange  country  I  cannot  well 
express.  Sometimes  I  would  seat  myself  in  the  solitary 
woods  a§d  bewail  my  condition  till  my  heaving  heart 
foimd  relief  in  floods  of  tears.  The  best  satisfaction  I 
could  find  was  in  being  alone,  reading,  praying,  and  med- 
itating. On  one  thing  I  resolved  :  being  now  separated 
from  my  former  associates,  I  determined  not  to  entangle 
myself  again  in  the  vain  pleasures  of  life.  When  not 
engaged  in  my  school  duties,  reading  the  Bible  and  other 
good  books,  and  secret  prayer,  occupied  most  of  my 
time." 

He  discovers  among  the  settlers  a  family  which  has  a 
small  library.  Milton's  Poems,  Bunyan's  Progress,  Her- 
vey's  Meditations  entertain  and  relieve  his  melancholy 
leisure.  He  is  successful  as  a  teacher,  commands  much 
respect  from  the  people,  accumulates  some  funds,  and 
is  in  danger  of  relapsing  into  his  former  moral  indiffer- 
ence ;  but  the  slightest  occurrences  recall  the  subjects  of 
his  serious  reflections.  He  is  overtaken  in  the  woods  by 
night  and  must  cross  a  dangerous  stream  in  the  dark,  upon 
a  narrow  branch  of  a  tree ;  after  passing  over,  he  pauses 
to  look  back  in  the  dim  light  at  the  peril  he  has  escaped ;  it 
presents  a  figure  of  his  moral  danger,  wandering  in  dark- 
ness through  life,  through  death,  to  the  infinite  future ; 
and  his  spirit  trembles  within  him.  He  resumes  his 
early  habit,  enjoined  by  his  father,  of  reading  the  Bible 
"by  course."  The  dealings  of  God  with  the  Hebrew 
people,  their  frequent  defections,  his  mercy  and  judg- 
ments upon  them,  deeply  impress  him.  "  This  reading," 
he  says,  "  gave  me  more  important  knowledge  than  all 


38 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


the  books  I  had  ever  read.  In  studying  the  New  Testa- 
ment light  poured  into  my  understanding  through  the 
agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  I  now  believe,  and  though 
the  plan  of  salvation,  by  grace  through  faith,  was  not 
yet  clearly  revealed  to  me,  I  saw  myself  a  justly  con- 
demned sinner,  and  perceived  the  necessity  of  repent- 
ance, though  I  did  not  fully  comprehend  its  nature.  I 
was  led  to  earnest  prayer,  in  secret,  for  more  light, 
and  for  deliverance  from  the  difficulties  under  which  I 
groaned."  # 

DOCTEIXAL  SOPHISMS. 

A  drowning  man  will  catch  at  straws.  He  opened 
his  Bible,  one  Sabbath  morning,  at  the  text,  "  As  in 
Adam  all  die,  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive  ;"  the 
sophism  that  the  final  salvation  of  all  men,  and  there- 
fore his  own  safety,  could  be  inferred  from  this  passage, 
was  eagerly  seized  by  him ;  he  cited  it  to  some  of  his 
neighbors ;  they  reminded  him  that  it  only  declares  the 
resurrection  of  all  men,  but  that  among  those  who  "  in 
the  dust  of  the  earth  shall  awake,"  there  shall  rise  "  some 
to  everlasting  life,  and  some  to  shame  and  everlasting 
contempt."  His  tender  conscience  recoiled  from  the 
fallacy  it  had  dared  to  entertain,  and  again  he  bowed 
his  head  in  compunction  before  his  God.  He  was,  in 
fine,  passing  through  a  moral  training  which  was  to 
afford  an  important  preparation  for  his  ministerial  life. 
He  was  learning  by  experience  the  struggles  of  a  soul 
in  the  process  of  its  regeneration.  He  was  destined  to 
be,  for  two  generations,  the  guide  and  comforter  of  such 
souls,  and  it  was  necessary  that  he  should  know  well 
their  needs.  Had  his  inveterate  prejudices  allowed  him 
to  hear  the  few  Methodists  who  were  scattered  about 
him,  he  would  have  found  in  their  liberal  but  evangelical 
doctrines  the  guidance  and  consolation  he  needed  ;  but 
be  shunned  them  as  dangerous  fanatics.  The  remote 
region  where  he  now  lived  was  occasionally  reached  by 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


no 


wandering  clergymen  or  itinerant  missionaries.  One, 
who  was  of  the  denomination  in  which  he  had  been 
trained,  arrived  there,  but  could  give  him  no  satisfac- 
tory instruction.  Though  in  holy  orders,  he  was  a  card- 
player  and  a  drunkard,  and  performed  the  liturgical 
service  with  indecent  haste,  following  it  with  a  brief, 
rapid,  and  vapid  prelection.  A  Calvinistic  preacher 
paused  some  time  in  the  settlement;  the  young  teacher 
conversed  much  with  him,  and  sought  refuge  from  his 
anxious  perplexities  in  the  dogmas  of  election  and  the 
final  safety  of  the  elect.  Were  he  one  of  these  he  could 
not  be  lost,  whatever  his  errors,  whatever  even  his  sins. 
He  records  that  he  found  a  momentary,  but  pernicious 
relief  in  this  opinion.  He  became  a  zealous  polemic 
among  his  rustic  friends,  and  held  many  a  sturdy  dis- 
pute in  defense  of  his  new  creed;  more,  however,  to 
fortify  himself  in  it  than  to  win  them  to  it,  and  with 
self-complaisant  fallacies  which  no  good  Calvinist  would 
admit.  A  Methodist  came  across  his  path  and  was 
immediately  attacked  on  the  subject;  but  the  devout 
Arminian  had  other  and  more  personal  topics  to  discuss 
with  him,  and  left  him  with  still  greater  alarms  of  con- 
science. "  His  words  came,"  he  writes,  "  like  a  dagger 
to  my  heart,  and  I  could  make  no  reply,  but  turned 
from  him,  begging  him  to  pray  for  me.  Soon  after, 
while  walking  the  lonely  road,  these  words  of  Job 
came  to  my  mind  with  power :  '  "Who  is  he  that 
hideth  counsel  without  knowledge  ?  Therefore  have  I 
uttered  that  I  understood  not ;  things  too  wonderful  for 
me,  which  I  knew  not.'  They  so  strongly  arrested 
my  attention  that  I  stood  still,  in  silent  amazement  and 
unutterable  humiliation.  Such  a  penetrating  sense  of 
my  utter  inability  to  comprehend  the  deep  subjects  upon 
which  I  had  been  disputing  entered  my  soul,  that  I  was 
prostrated  before  God  confessing  my  littleness  and  sin- 
fulness. For  a  time  I  dared  not  to  advance;  I  looked 
this  way  and  that,  I  gazed  upon  the  heavens  over  my 


40 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


bead  and  the  earth  beneath  my  feet,  and  seemed  sur- 
rounded with  God,  shut  in  on  every  side.  I  acknowl- 
edged my  sinfulness,  my  ignorance,  my  utter  insufficiency ; 
I  knew  that  I  had  '  uttered  things  too  high  for  me,'  and 
'things  that  I  understood  not.'  I  concluded,  there- 
fore, that  it  was  more  fitting  rhe  to  cease  disputing,  to 
humble  myself  before  God,  and  to  supplicate  his  mercy 
as  a  condemned  criminal  at  his  throne,  than  to  contend 
about  the  deep  things  of  religion,  to  which  I  was  a 
stranger.  These  reflections  humbled  me  in  the  dust, 
and  I  resolved  to  trouble  myself  no  more  with  specula- 
tive points  of  divinity,  but  rather  to  seek  until  I  should 
find  his  mercy." 

THE  METHODISTS  JAMES  COLEMAN. 

"Although  I  accepted,  thus  humbly,  this  pointed 
rebuke,  I  could  not  yet  bring  myself  willingly  to  receive 
the  Methodist  doctrines  and  usages  as  rightful  expo- 
sitions of  God's  word;  such  influence  had  early  preju- 
dices still  over  my  mind,  strengthened  as  they  were  by 
daily  reports  of  the  tongue  of  slander.  I  supposed  that 
a  people  of  whom  so  much  evil  was  said  must  be  under 
a  fatal  delusion.  Thus  I  went  on,  stumbling  over  the 
truth  and  warring  against  my  conscience."  But  this  very 
people  seemed,  as  we  have  seen,  providentially  to  beset 
him.  He  now  found  himself  boarding  with  a  family  who, 
nominally  at  least,  belonged  to  their  communion.  "  One 
night,"  he  continues,  "  I  could  not  rest.  I  sat  up  after 
the  family  had  retired.  I  opened  the  Bible,  and  my 
eye  fell  upon  those  words  of  Jeremiah,  'But  thy  life  will 
I  give  unto  thee  for  a  prey  in  all  places  whither  thou  go- 
est.'  They  seemed  addressed  to  me,  and  to  foretoken 
my  destiny.  I  knelt  in  prayer,  and,  committing  myself 
to  God's  mercy,  found  some  repose  in  sleep." 

About  this  time  a  Methodist  itinerant  penetrated  to 
the  settlement.  James  Coleman,  a  man  who,  with  no 
great  talents,  achieved  great  usefulness,  not  only  preached 


NATHAN  BANGS.  D.D. 


41 


there,  but  lodged  with  the  very  family  where  the  baffled 
inquirer  resided. 

James  Coleman  was  a  good  example  of  the  heroic 
Methodist  itinerant  ministry  of  that  day.  He  was  bora 
in  New  Jersey,  settled  early  beyond  the  Alleghanies,  on 
the  Monongahela,  and  was  there  reached  and  saved,  about 
the  time  of  the  Revolution,  by  the  pioneer  preachers  of 
Methodism.  He  entered  the  ministry,  a  hardy  and  zeal- 
ous evangelist,  about  1791,  and  went  to  New  England  to 
help  Lee  in  founding  Methodism  in  the  East.  A  mis- 
sionary in  spirit,  he  made  his  way,  in  1794,  to  Canada, 
among  the  first  preachers  of  the  denomination  in  that 
coimtry.  On  his  route  to,  and  in  his  travels  in  the  prov- 
ince, he  endured  the  severest  privations.  While  passing 
up  the  Mohawk  River,  he  was  obliged  to  go  on  shore  fit-  i 
teen  nights  in  succession,  and  kindle  afire  to  keep  off  the 
wild  beasts  ;  and  his  food  failing,  he  was  reduced  to  a 
single  cracker  per  day.  But  such  was  his  zeal  that  no 
privations  or  difficulties  could  arrest  him,  or  even  dampen 
his  ardor.  Though  his  abilities  were  not  great,  yet  such 
was  the  peculiar  impression  that  attended  his  prayers, 
and  so  entirely  was  he  a  man  of  one  aim  and  of  one  busi- 
ness, that  great  results  attended  his  labors  ;  and,  say  his 
brethren,  in  their  Minute  obituary,  "  his  crown  in  heaven 
is  not  without  many  stars,  and  some,  too,  of  the  first  mag- 
nitude." "I  recall  him  distinctly,"  wrote  Dr.  Bangs, 
after  many  years,  "  a  man  of  small  stature,  piercing  black 
eyes,  an  intelligent  countenance  ;  a  good  devoted  man.  I 
often  heard  him  preach,  and  was  greatly  pleased  with  his 
fervent  manner.  He  frequently  spoke  to  me  about  re- 
ligion, though  I  did  not  open  my  heart  to  him.  In  his 
prayers  he  would  mention  me  by  name,  with  affectionate 
simplicity,  which  so  affected  me  that  I  would  weep  like  a 
child,  and,  when  I  rose  from  my  knees,  would  seek  some 
secluded  place  to  hide  my  emotions.  I  have  indeed  great 
reason  to  remember,  with  gratitude  to  God,  the  prayers 
and  conversations  of  James  Coleman.    He  was  truly  a 


42 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


man  of  God,  and  tenderly  felt  for  the  salvation  of  souls. 
He  soon,  however,  left  the  country,  to  return  no  more. 
After  his  departure  there  were  no  preachers  of  the  Gos- 
pel near  us,  except  the  poor  drunken  card-playing  minis- 
ter of  the  Church  of  England,  whom  I  sometimes  heard 
mumble  over  his  form  of  prayer  so  fast  that  I  could 
scarcely  understand  a  word  of  it,  and  then  read  his  short 
manuscript  sermon  with  the  same  indifference  and  haste." 

MENTAL  STRUGGLES. 

The  words  of  the  good  James  Coleman  had,  however, 
sunk  into  his  heart.  Some  days  after  the  evangelist  had 
left  the  settlement,  the  young  teacher  walked  in  the 
woods,  late  at  night,  mourning  over  the  desolation  of  his 
soul.  He  had  lost  the  opportunity  of  revealing  his  con- 
dition to  a  man  who  could  have  solved  his  perplexities,  and 
he  now  endeavored  again  to  find  their  solution  in  his  own 
confused  and  harassed  reflections.  The  moon  and  stars 
shone  magnificently  upon  and  through  the  grand  natural 
temple  of  the  primeval  forest.  Awestruck  by  the  majesty 
of  God,  he  felt  his  own  insignificance  and  sinfulness.  He 
tried  to  pray,  but  could  not ;  "  such  a  contrast,"  he  says, 
"  appeared  between  the  holy,  tremendous  God,  and  my 
unholy,  miserable  self,  that  I  dared  not  open  my  lips  in 
prayer.  I  stood  in  trembling  silence  and  condemnation. 
I  had  no  view  of  the  Saviour  of  sinners.  Had  I  beheld 
him  as  my  atoning  High  Priest,  and  relied  on  his  merits, 
I  might  have  been  delivered  from  my  guilt,  and  have 
received  '  peace  in  believing ;'  but  this  blessed  vision 
was  yet  hidden  from  my  view,  and  I  only  saw  God  out 
of  Christ,  and  he  was  as  a  consuming  fire." 

The  true  light  was  approaching,  however,  and  the 
morning  was  at  hand.  A  day  or  two  later,  after  dis- 
missing his  school,  he  again  walked  and  meditated  in 
the  forest,  pondering  over  the  truths  he  had  heard  from 
the  Methodist  itinerant.  He  knelt  in  prayer,  and  then 
continued  his  walk,  still  looking  heavenward  for  light  and 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


43 


comfort.  "  Suddenly,"  he  says,  "  I  felt  my  burden  re- 
moved. Filled  with  gratitude  for  God's  long  forbear- 
ance, I  stood  and  silently  adored.  It  was  immediately 
suggested  to  my  mind, '  What  is  this  ?'  and  answered,  '  It 
is  the  love  of  God.'  '  Are  my  sins  forgiven?'  Something 
seemed  to  answer,  '  No.'  I  rejoiced,  however,  in  God 
my  Saviour,  and  a  desire  to  immediately  make  known 
to  some  one  my  hopes  and  fears  arose  in  my  heart,  but 
it  was  suggested,  '  This  will  not  be  wise ;  you  may  be 
deceived  ;  and  a  profession  of  religion  may  be  followed 
with  failure  and  disgrace.'  I  continued  in  this  state,  re- 
joicing in  the  goodness  of  God,  about  three  days,  when, 
in  consequence  of  following  the  suggestion  of  my  fears, 
and  thereby  failing  of  the  sympathies  and  counsels  of  ex- 
perienced Christians,  doubt,  darkness,  and  condemnation 
succeeded  to  the  peace  and  illumination  I  had  received. 
Although  I  was  well  assured  that  a  great  change  had 
taken  place  in  my  whole  moral  being,  yet  I  did  not  believe 
that  I  was  fully  justified  in  the  sight  of  God,  nor  was  the 
plan  of  salvation  by  grace,  through  faith,  fully  disclosed  to 
my  mind ;  yet  I  now  think  that  if  I  had  obeyed  the  voice 
of  the  Spirit  by  making  known  my  condition  to  the  peo- 
ple of  God,  I  should  even  then  have  entered  into  the  rest 
of  faith." 

A  QUARTERLY  LOVE-FEAST. 

The  light  was,  however,  soon  to  dawn  more  fully.  The 
Methodists  were  again  at  hand.  "  Not  many  days  after 
this,"  he  continues,  "  information  came  that  two  Method- 
ist preachers  had  arrived,  and  that  a  Quarterly  Meeting 
was  to  be  held  at  Christian  Warner's  house,  near  St. 
David's.  I  rejoiced  at  this  news,  as  I  had  prayed  long 
and  urgently  that  God  would  send  some  one  who  could 
instruct  us  '  more  perfectly '  in  his  ways,iand  I  was  now 
determined  to  divest  myself  of  all  prejudice,  and  receive 
with  candor  the  truth,  whencesoever  it  might  come  to 
my  troubled  soul."    At  this  opportune  moment  he  found 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


one  of  his  friends  in  the  same  state  of  mind  as  himself, 
and  accompanied  him  to  the  love-feast — the  Agape,  de- 
rived by  Wesley,  through  the  Moravians,  from  the  primi- 
tive Church — an  occasion  which  always  accompanied  the 
"  Quarterly  Meeting." 

The  two  inquirers  went,  praying  that  they  might  find 
light  and  peace.  As  they  approached  the  house,  they 
heard  singing  and  prayer  from  the  barn  where  the  as- 
sembly was  held.  "  Their  hearts  were  thrilled,"  and 
"  filled  with  solemn  awe."  The  Itinerants  present  were 
Joseph  Sawyer  and  Joseph  Jewell,  notable  men  of 
that  day.  At  the  close  of  the  love-feast,  Sawyer  stood 
up  to  preach ;  young  Bangs  placed  himself  in  a  corner 
of  the  barn,  determined  to  hear  as  for  his  life.  The 
evangelist  discoursed  on  the  beatitudes  of  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount.  "  In  commenting  on  the  passage,  '  Blessed 
are  they  that  mourn,'  etc.,  he  unfolded  all  the  enigmas  of 
my  heart  more  fully  than  I  could  myself.  I  was  power- 
fully affected,  and  wept  much.  I  was  fully  persuaded 
that  he  was  a  man  of  God,  and  could  show  me  the  way 
of  salvation.  When  the  meeting  concluded,  Mr.  Warner 
invited  me  to  dine  at  his  house  with  the  preachers. 
Though  I  was  an  entire  stranger  to  him  and  to  them,  I 
gladly  assented,  for  I  had  an  eager  desire  to  converse 
with  them.  On  the  way  I  rode  in  company  with  Joseph 
Sawyer,  who  commenced  a  conversation  with  me  on  re- 
ligion. For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  fully  disclosed  the 
struggles  of  my  mind,  acknowledging  my  doubts,  my  fears, 
and  my  desires.  He  endeavored  in  the  kindest  manner 
to  instruct  and  comfort  me.  At  his  request  I  accompa- 
nied him  to  his  lodgings,  and  when  I  was  about  to  depart 
we  kneeled  down,  and  he  prayed  for  me  that  God  would 
convert  my  soul,  and  even  commission  me  to  preach  the 
Gospel.  '  What  does  this  mean  ?'  said  I  to  myself ;  for, 
as  to  preaching,  the  thought  had  never  entered  my 
mind." 

To  save  his  own  soul  was  his  absorbing  anxiety ;  but 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


45 


the  itinerant  saw  that  God  had  been  leading  him  through 
a  significant  moral  training,  and  that  there  were  in  him 
the  qualities  which  make  mighty  men.  He  instinctively 
divined  something  of  the  destined  career  of  the  young 
struggling  soul  before  him.  He  explained  the  revelation 
of  gracious  light  which  had  been  given  him  in  his  medi- 
tative walk  on  the  highway — that  the  consolation  he  then 
received  was  legitimate,  but  that  his  faith  had  failed.  He 
exhorted  him  to  go  forward  ;  a  clearer  light  Avould  dawn 
upon  him,  and  he  would  yet  receive  assurance,  "  the  wit- 
ness of  the  Spirit." 

A  SISTER'S  USEFULNESS. 

His  brother-in-law  moved  into  the  settlement  about 
this  time,  and  received  him  as  a  lodger.  His  sister  was 
a  devout  woman,  and  had  already  been  instrumental  in 
the  salvation  of  another  brother.  John  Bangs,  on  taking 
leave  of  the  parental  home  at  Stamford,  to  go  out  into  the 
world,  was,  he  says,  "  accompanied  some  distance  on  the 
way  by  a  pious  and  devoted  sister ;  when  about  to  part, 
she  held  me  by  the  hand  and  seemed  unwilling  to  let  me 
go.  I  looked  into  her  face  and  beheld  the  tears  coursing 
down  from  a  countenance  impressed  with  sorrow  and 
anxiety,  I  could  not  think  what  was  the  matter  until 
she  said,  '  My  dear  brother,  remember  that  if  you  die  in 
your  sins,  where  God  and  Christ  are  you  never  can  go !' 
She  turned  away  from  me  and  passed  on."  This  parting 
word,  he  adds,  "  wounded"  his  heart;  "a  thunderbolt" 
could  not  have  struck  him  with  more  effect.  He  became 
a  laborious  and  successful  preacher  of  Methodism.*  This 
sister  was  now  in  the  wilderness  of  Canada,  a  guide  and 
comforter  of  her  brother  Nathan,  before  whom  the  same 
career  was  about  to  open.  They  communed  together, 
as  brother  and  sister  only  can,  respecting  his  spiritual 
struggles  and  hopes.  He  records  the  consolation  he  re- 
ceived in  these  conversations:  "I  resolved,"  he  adds,  "  to 
*  Memoir  of  Eev.  John  Bangs. 


46 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OP 


devote  myself  wholly  to  the  service  of  God,  come  what 
might."    He  began  practically  to  do  so. 

PERSECUTION. 

He  now  daily  opened  his  school  with  prayer ;  but  the 
innovation  raised  a  storm  of  opposition.  He  had  been 
very  highly  appreciated  by  the  families  of  his  pupils; 
they  now  railed  against  him  in  the  streets.  "A  robust 
Dutchman"  so  far  violated  the  hospitality  of  his  own 
house  as  to  rush  upon  him,  when  he  entered  its  door, 
with  clenched  and  uplifted  fist,  exclaiming,  "Did  you 
ever  see  a  man  mad  ?  if  not,  look  at  me !"  Others  also 
threatened  him  with  personal  violence,  and  the  whole 
settlement  was  thrown  into  agitation.  They  accused  the 
Methodists  of  deluding  and  infatuating  him.  He  re- 
mained calm,  but  resolute.  They  at  last  threatened  to 
expel  him  from  the  neighborhood,  and  transport  him 
across  the  river  into  the  United  States.  "  Finding,"  he 
says,  "I  could  have  no  peace  among  them,  I  called  a 
'  School-meeting ;'  they  voted  that  I  might  continue  the 
school,  but  should  not  pray  in  it.  I  finally  told  them 
that,  as  they  owed  me  three  months'  wages,  I  would 
give  them  three  days  in  which  to  pay  me,  and  meanwhile 
teach  the  school,  but  continue  the  prayers.  I  went 
around  to  their  houses,  collected  my  bills,  heard  many 
regrets,  one  family  blaming  another  for  the  trouble,  but 
I  quietly  left  them.  God,  indeed,  stood  by  me  in  that 
hour  of  trial,  and  gave  me  words  and  arguments  which 
they  could  not  resist;  and,  so  far  from  feeling  any  re- 
sentment, I  felt  the  tenderest  pity  for  them  and  their  chil- 
dren, and  could  weep  and  pray  for  them." 

DOFFS  HIS  CUE  AM  RUFFLES  AND  BECOMES  A  METHODIST. 

This  trial  was  a  great  blessing;  it  committed  him  pub- 
licly to  religion,  and  opened  the  way  for  his  entrance 
upon  the  career  of  his  life  as  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel. 
"I  had  now,"  he  continues,  "taken  a  stand  from  which 


XATHAX  BANGS,  D.D. 


47 


I  could  not  well  recede.  I  felt  much  inward  peace,  and 
the  Holy  Scriptures  were-indescribably  precious  to  me." 
He  conformed  himself  to  the  severest  customs  of  the 
Methodists.  He  had  prided  himself  on  his  fine  personal 
appearance,  and  had  dressed  in  the  full  fashion  of  the 
times,  with  ruffled  shirt,  and  long  hair  in  a  cue.  He  now 
ordered  his  laundress  to  take  off  his  ruffles ;  his  long 
hair  shared  the  same  fate,  not,  however,  without  the  re- 
monstrances of  his  pious  sister,  who  deemed  this  rigor 
unnecessary,  and  admired  his  young  but  manly  form 
with  a  sister's  pride.  He  was  received  into  the  Society 
of  the  Methodists.  He  had  considered  them  unworthy  of 
his  regard  ;  he  now  considered  himself  unworthy  of  theirs, 
and  took  his  place  among  them  with  deep  humility. 
"  "When  I  became  acquainted  with  the  1  General  Rules,'" 
he  says,  "I  was  struck  with  their  Scriptural  character, 
and  could  not  but  remark  the  truth  of  Mr.  Wesley's  say- 
ing: 'All  these,  we  know,  the  Spirit  of  God  writes  on 
truly  awakened  hearts.'  Before  I  knew  these  Rides,  as 
in  the  Methodist  Discipline,  or  any  of  the  rules  of  that 
Discipline,  the  Holy  Spirit  had  written  most  of  them  on 
my  heart." 

CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 

"  Having  thus  united  myself  with  the  people  of  God, 
it  was  now  my  principal  concern  to  make  sure  work  of 
my  salvation.  Though  I  had  frequent  manifestations  of 
the  grace  of  God,  and  could  occasionally  rejoice  in  him, 
I  had  not  yet  attained  to  a  clear  witness  of  my  accept- 
ance with  him.  The  subject  of  religion  engrossed  my 
attention,  and  I  sought  every  opportunity  to  converse 
with  devout  people  on  my  state  and  prospects.  Some 
said  that  they  believed  me  to  be  already  justified,  while 
others  exhorted  me  to  be  thankful  for  what  I  had  re- 
ceived, and  to  persevere  until  I  should  find  a  satisfactory 
evidence  of  my  acceptance  with  God.  My  prayer  was 
for  some  miraculous,  some  physical  manifestation  of 


48 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


divine  grace.  It  pleased  the  Lord  to  disappoint  me  in 
this  respect,  as  in  so  many  pthers.  After  struggling 
hard,  praying  much,  reading  the  Holy  Scriptures,  fast- 
ing, and  conversing  with  religious  friends  for  some  days, 
he  showed  to  my  mind  a  scene  such  as  I  had  never  fully 
seen  before.  All  my  past  sins  seemed  pictured  upon  my 
memory ;  and  the  righteous  law  of  God,  so  often  broken 
by  me,  shone  in  overwhelming  splendor  before  me;  I 
saw  and  acknowledged  the  justice  of  my  condemnation. 
Christ  was  then  exhibited  to  my  mind  as  having  '  fulfilled 
the  law  and  made  it  honorable,'  '  bearing  my  sins  in  his 
own  body  on  the  tree  so  that  I,  receiving  him  by  faith, 
need  not  bear  them  any  longer  myself.  This  view  hum- 
bled me  to  the  dust.  At  the  same  time  I  felt  a  gracious 
power  to  rely  upon  his  atoning  merits  by  simple  faith. 
Instantly  I  felt  that  my  sins  were  canceled  for  Christ's 
sake,  and  the  Spirit  of  God  bore  witness  with  mine  that 
I  was  adopted  into  the  family  of  His  people.  My 
mind  was  filled  with  awe  and  reverence.  The  wisdom, 
power,  and  goodness  of  God  in  devising  such  a  scheme 
for  the  recovery  of  fallen  man  struck  me  with  astonish- 
ment. "With  an  ecstasy  of  holy  joy  did  I  lay  hold  upon 
the  cross  of  the  Lord  Jesus  as  my  Saviour.  All  boasting 
was  excluded,  except  of  the  matchless  love  of  God,  who 
sent  his  Son  to  die  for  the  world,  that '  whosoever  believeth 
in  hirn  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life.'  This 
view  of  the  plan  of  redemption  and  salvation  was  as 
clear  to  me  at  that  time  as  it  has  been  at  any  time  since, 
though  not  by " any  means  so  comprehensively  defined 
in  my  mind  as  in  my  later  experience  and  studies.  It 
has  since  been  enlarged,  and  made  to  appear  more  and 
more  exact,  symmetrical,  and  beautiful  in  all  its  parts. 
Here  let  me  record  my  grateful,  adoring  sense  of  the 
loving-kindness  of  my  God  in  watching  so  providentially 
over  my  infant  days,  in  leading  me  through  the  perilous 
intricacies  of  youth  up  to  manhood,  bearing  with  my 
sinfulness,  conducting  me  to  a  strange  land,  where  he 


NATHAN  BANGS.  D.D. 


•19 


directed  my  steps  among  his  people,  opening  the  path  of 
life  and  peace  to  my  troubled  soul,  and  receiving  me  at 
last,  by  adoption,  into  the  household  of  his  saints.  I 
was  now,  August,  1800,  in  the  twenty-second  year  of 
my  age,  having  been  twenty-one  on  the  2d  of  May 
preceding." 

Thus  was  the  momentous  work  wrought,  the  regener- 
ation of  this  struggling  soul.  Thus  had  he  at  last  and 
forever  turned  his  brow  heavenward,  whence  fell  upon 
it  a  light  which  was  to  "  shine  brighter  and  brighter 
even  unto  the  perfect  day."  Henceforth,  for  more  than 
threescore  years,  he  will  maintain  his  unaverted  gaze 
toward  that  divine  height,  till  at  last  he  is  caught  up  to 
it,  away  from  our  sight,  as  if  sharing  in  the  ascension,  as 
he  had  shared  in  the  redemption  of  his  Lord. 

4 


60 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER  IV. 

NEW  SCENES  AND  STUDIES. 

It  seemed  now  that  he  had  to  begin  life  anew.  He  had 
been  thrust  out  from  his  occupation  and  his  home; 
but  this  trial,  as  has  been  said,  was  providential ;  it  was 
to  hasten  him.  into  the  appointed  career  of  his  public  life. 
"  When  my  old  friends  cast  me  off,"  he  writes,  "  the 
Lord  raised  me  up  new  and  better  ones."  Before  he 
left  the  settlement  he  bore  a  faithful  testimony  for  his 
God.  "  The  divine  love  burned  in  my  heart,"  he  adds, 
"and  I  felt  compelled  to  warn  all  around  me  to  flee 
from  the  wrath  to  come.  I  went  from  house  to  house 
declaring  what  God  had  done  for  my  soul,  exhorting 
the  people  to  seek  his  mercy,  and  praying  with  those 
who  would  permit  me.  Some  mocked,  some  wept,  and 
a  few  received  the  word  with  joy.  No  sooner  was  I 
brought  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of 
Satan  unto  God,  than  I  was  led  to  embrace  the  doctrines 
and  usages  of  Methodism,  with  all  my  heart,  as  far  as  I 
understood  them.  Being  about  three  hundred  miles 
from  my  father's  house,  I  wrote  him  an  account  of  the 
change  wrought  in  my  views  and  life.  In  answering  me 
he  expressed  thankfulness  that  I  had  given  my  attention 
to  religion,  but  thought  I  had  gone  too  far  in  assuming 
a  knowledge  of  my  personal  salvation,  as  knowledge 
supersedes  the  necessity  of  faith.  I  wrote  him  a  reply, 
in  which,  though  the  sentiments  were  true,  I  believe  my 
zeal  led  me  to  express  myself  too  positively,  and  not 
with  that  respectful  deference  which  befits  a  child  ad- 
dressing a  father.  I  would  also  observe  that,  during 
the  previous  struggles  of  my  soul,  few  things  gave  me 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


51 


keener  sorrow  than  remembered  acts  of  disobedience  to 
my  parents,  and  I  could  not  rest  till  I  made  them  a 
humble  acknowledgment  and  begged  their  pardon,  which 
they  affectionately  accorded  me." 

He  obtained  another  school,  in  a  Methodist  neighbor- 
hood, where  he  found  congenial  society  and  providen- 
tial aids  in  his  new  life.  "Before  I  became  acquainted 
with  the  Methodists,"  he  says,  "  my  theological  reading 
had  been  confined  mostly  to  Calvinistic  authors ;  but  now 
I  began  to  read  the  writings  of  John  "Wesley  and  John 
Fletcher.  I  thereby  became  acquainted  with  those  emi- 
nent men  of  God,  and  now  truth  shone  more  fully  upon 
my  understanding.  Some  portions  of  Mr.  Wesley's 
Journals  fell  into  my  hands,  and  gave  me  a  knowledge 
of  the  manner  in  which  God  had  led  him  on,  step  by 
step,  in  the  great  work  to  which  his  life  was  devoted. 
I  thanked  God  for  raising  up  such  a  man  to  be  a  means 
of  light  and  reformation  in  the  modern  Church.  Simul- 
taneously with  my  conversion  it  was  impressed  upon  my 
mind  that  it  was  my  duty  to  warn  sinners  of  their  dan- 
ger. It  seemed  as  if  I  had  been  awakened  from  a  pro- 
found sleep,  and  I  thought  I  could  see  others  in  the 
same  dangerous  condition.  I  felt  an  unappeasable  de- 
sire to  apprise  them  of  their  danger,  and  induce  them 
to  escape  it  by  repentance  toward  God  and  faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  For  such  an  important  task  I  felt 
quite  inadequate.  Sometimes  I  feared  that  this  impression 
of  what  seemed  an  impossible  duty  was  a  temptation  of 
the  adversary  to  induce  me  to  exhibit  my  weakness,  and 
thereby  bring  reproach  on  the  cause  of  God  ;  and  such 
was  my  natural  timidity,  that  whenever  I  attempted  to 
pray  in  public  I  trembled  like  a  leaf,  and  I  concluded 
that  if  I  attempted  to  speak  in  public  I  never  could  suc- 
ceed. The  impression  that  I  must  sooner  or  later  preach 
beset  me,  however,  by  night  and  by  day ;  and  frequently, 
while  walking  in  the  forests,  texts  of  Scripture  would  be 
presented  to  my  mind,  and  their  meaning  unfolded ;  and 


52 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


I  found  myself  following  out  the  train  of  their  truth  with 
all  my  soul,  while  my  heart  burned  within  me  with  a 
divine  fervor. 

JOSEPH  SAWYER  CHRISTIAN  WARNER. 

"Joseph  Sawyer,  who  received  me  into  the  Church  and 
who  had  become  as  a  father  to  me,  frequently  urged  me 
to  use  what  he  called  my  'gift'  in  public.  Although  I 
consented  to  lead  a  class,  a  few  miles  distant  from  my 
home,  such  was  my  timidity  that  the  attempt  was  an 
entire  failure.  This  induced  me  to  doubt  my  capacity 
for  any  such  public  labors,  and  I  hastily  concluded  that 
I  would  try  no  more. 

"  Soon  after  this  failure  I  removed  my  lodgings  to 
another  place,  and  boarded  with  Christian  Warner,  my 
class-leader,  a  man  of  sweet  spirit,  2nd  for  whom  I  shall 
ever  entertain  an  ardent  affection.  He  was  a  pattern  of 
religion,  always  consistent  in  his  conduct,  and  acted  the 
part  of  a  parent  toward  me.  Such  was  my  diffidence 
that  I  gave  up  my  judgment  almost  entirely  to  others 
wh»m  I  esteemed  on  account  of  their  experience  and 
piety.  I  found  Christian  Warner  worthy  of  my  utmost 
confidence,  and  he  became  my  counselor  and  guide  in 
this  critical  period  of  my  Christian  life." 

THE  DOCTRINE  OE  SANCTIFICATION. 

The  doctrine  of  sanctification,  as  taught  by  Paul  and 
expounded  by  Wesley  and  Fletcher,  was  a  favorite 
theme  in  the  conversations  of  his  new  associates,  espe- 
cially of  Christian  Warner.  Wesley  attached  supreme 
importance  to  this  doctrine.  While  yet  at  Oxford  he 
became  convinced  that  the  Mystics,  with  all  their  errors, 
had  apprehended  in  it  a  great  truth  of  Christianity. 
The  Sketch  of  a  Perfect  Christian,  by  Clemens  Alexan- 
drinus,  excited  his  ardent  aspirations.  Bishop  Taylor 
had  irradiated  that  ideal  of  religious  character  by  his 
rare  eloquence.    William  Law  had  written  ably  upon  it. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


53 


Thomas  a  Kempis  and  other  Catholic  saints  had  taught 
and  exemplified  it.  Fenelon  had  been  an  illustrious  ex- 
ample of  it,  in  both  his  -writings  and  life.  Wesley  trans- 
lated the  life  of  Fenelon's  friend,  Madam  Guyon,  and 
gave  it  to  his  people  as  a  practical  demonstration  of  the 
great  truth.  He  also  published  in  his  Christian  Library 
the  essay  of  Dr.  Lucas  on  Religious  Perfection,*  as  pre- 
senting generally  the  Scriptural  view  of  the  subject. 
The  Scriptural  phrases  " sanctification,"  "perfection," 
"perfect  love,"  would,  independently  of  these  author- 
ities, have  suggested  to  him  a  pre-eminent  standard  of 
spiritual  life ;  but  these  writers  had  given  a  specific  and 
even  technical  character  to  the  words.  Their  opinions, 
glowing  with  the  very  sanctity  of  the  Gospel,  and 
aspiring  to  what  most  men  deemed  an  altogether  preter- 
human virtue,  have  been  rendered  familiar  to  the  Meth- 
odist itinerants  throughout  England,  and  later  through- 
out the  world,  in  the  writings  of  Law,  Fletcher,  and 
Wesley.  Every  one  of  them,  at  his  reception  into  the 
traveling  ministry,  avows  his  belief  in  the  doctrine,  and 
that  he  is  "  groaning  after,"  if  he  has  not  already 
attained,  this  exalted  grace.  Perhaps  no  single  fact 
affords  a  better  explanation  of  the  marvelous  success  of 
Methodism.  Wesley  observed  and  declared  that  wher- 
ever the  doctrine  was  preached  revivals  usually  prevailed. 
"  It  is,"  he  said,  "  the  grand  depositum  which  God  has 
given  to  the  people  called  Methodists ;  and  chiefly  to  prop- 
agate this,  it  appears,  God  raised  them  up.  Their  mission 
was  not  to  form  a  religious  party,  but  to  spread  holiness 
over  these  lands."  The  doctrine  of  personal  sanctifica- 
tion was,  in  fine,  the  great  potential  idea  of  Methodism. 
It  not  only  gave  it  life  and  energy,  by  inspiring  its  con- 
gregations with  devout  and  transforming  aspirations, 
but  it  was  the  precise  sentiment  needed  as  the  basis  of 
its  ministry.    Nothing  short  of  entire  self-sacrifice  could 

*  The  third  part  of  "  An  Inquiry  after  Happiness,"  by  Dr.  Lucas, 
Prebend  of  Westminster. 


54 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


consist  with  the  duties  and  privations  of  that  ministry ; 
and,  according  to  their  doctrine  of  perfection,  entire  con- 
secration was  the  preliminary  of  entire  sanctification. 
These  holy  men,  then,  in  making  an  entire  public  sacri- 
fice of  themselves,  did  so  as  a  part  of  an  entire  conse- 
cration to  God,  for  the  purpose  of  their  own  entire 
personal  sanctification,  as  well  as  their  usefulness  to 
others.  What  ideal  of  ministerial  character  and  devo- 
tion could  be  more  sublime  or  more  effective  ?  And  this 
ideal  they  realized  in  the  exceeding  labors  and  purity 
of  their  lives,  and  the  martyr-like  triumphs  of  their 
deaths. 

"Wesley  defined  this  Scriptural  truth  more  clearly  than 
any  other  modern  writer.  Evangelical  theologians  can- 
not deny  his  definition  of  the  doctrine.  They  can  dis- 
sent from  him  only  in  respect  to  the  time  in  which  entire 
sanctification  may  be  practically  reached  by  the  believer. 
All  admit  it  as  at  least  an  ideal,  yet  Scriptural  standard 
of  spiritual  life,  to  be  habitually  aspired  to  by  good  men, 
though  attained,  with  rare  exceptions,  only  at  death. 
Wesley  claimed  it  as,  like  justification,  an  attainment  of 
faith,  and  practicable  at  any  moment.*  It  is  the  puri- 
fication of  the  believer  subsequent  to  regeneration.  It 
is  usually  gradual;  it  maybe  instantaneous,  as, like  just- 

*  Alexander  Knox,  Esq.,  the  friend  and  correspondent  of  Bishop 
Jebh,  says,  (Thirty  Years'  Correspondence  with  Bishop  Jebb,  Letter 
XIX,)  "  Nay,  the  very  point  you  aim  at  in  them,  I  mean  their  view  of 
Christian  Perfection,  is  in  my  mind  so  essentially  right  and  important 
that  it  is  on  this  account  particularly  I  value  them  above  other  denom- 
inations of  the  sort.  I  am  aware  that  ignorant  individuals  expose  what 
is  in  itself  true  by  their  unfounded  pretensions  and  irrational  descrip- 
tions ;  but  with  the  sincerest  disapproval  of  every  such  excess,  I  do 
esteem  John  Wesley's  stand  for  holiness  to  be  that  which  does  immor- 
tal honor  to  his  name.  ...  In  John  Wesley's  views  of  Christian  Perfec- 
tion are  combined,  in  substance,  all  the  sublime  morality  of  the  Greek 
fathers,  the  spirituality  of  the  Mystics,  and  the  divine  philosophy  of 
our  favorite  Platonists.  Macarius,  Fenelon,  Lucas,  and  all  of  their 
respective  classes,  have  been  consulted  and  digested  by  him,  and  his 
ideas  are  essentially  theirs."  See  also  Knox's  Essay  on  Wesley's 
Character,  addressed  to  Southcy.    Appendix  to  Sonthcy's  Wesley. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


55 


ification,  it  is  received  by  faith.  "When  we  begin  to 
believe,"  "Wesley  said  in  his  Minutes  of  Conference, 
M  then  sanctification  begins  ;  and  as  faith  increases  holi- 
ness increases."  But  this  experience,  he  taught,  should 
be  sought  immediately ;  and  as  it  is  obtained  by  faith, 
it  is  the  privilege  of  all  believers  at  any  time.  He  called 
it  "perfection,"  a  name  which  has  incurred  no  little 
animadversion,  but  which  he  used  as  Scriptural,  and  as 
having  been  so  used  by  Law,  Lucas,  Macarius,  Fenelon, 
and  other  writers,  Protestant  and  Papal. 

Wesley's  statement  of  the  doctrine,  in  its  right  analy- 
sis, agrees  with  the  highest  standards  of  the  theological 
world.  He  differed  from  them  only  in  his  clearer  and 
more  urgent  promulgation  of  the  great  truth  ;  in  mak- 
ing it  an  exoteric  rather  than  an  esoteric  opinion  ;  in 
declaring  that  what  other  theologians  taught  as  a  pos- 
sibility, the  rare  enjoyment  of  some,  is  the  privilege  of 
all.  Fletcher  has  given  us  a  remarkable  essay  on  the 
doctrine,  proving  it  to.  be  Scriptural,  and  in  accordance 
with  the  theological  teachings  of  the  best  divines.* 
Wesley  wrote  an  elaborate  treatise  upon  it.f  He  taught 
not  absolute  or  Adamic,  but  Christian  Perfection.  Per- 
fect Christians  "  are  not,"  he  says,  "  free  from  ignorance, 
no,  nor  from  mistake.  We  are  no  more  to  expect  any 
man  to  be  infallible  than  to  be  omniscient.  .  .  .  From 
infirmities  none  are  perfectly  freed  till  their  spirits 
return  to  God;  neither  can  we  expect,  till  then,  to  be 
wholly  freed  from  temptation  ;  for  '  the  servant  is  not 
above  his  Master.'  But  neither  in  this  senso  is  there 
any  absolute  perfection  on  earth.  There  is  no  perfection 
of  degrees,  none  which  does  not  admit  of  a  continual 
increase." 

To  one  of  his  correspondents  he  says,  "  The  proposi- 
tion which  I  will  hold  is  this:  'Any  person  may  be 
cleansed  from  all  sinful  tempers,  and  yet  need  the  aton- 

*  Last  Check  to  Antinomianism,  Works,  vol.  ii. 

t  Plain  Account  of  Christian  Perfection,  Works,  vol.  vi. 


56 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


ing  blood.'  For  what  ?  For  '  negligences  and  igno- 
rances ; '  for  both  words  and  actions,  (as  well  as  omis- 
sions,) which  are,  in  a  sense,  transgressions  of  the  per- 
fect law.  And  I  believe  no  one  is  clear  of  these  till  he 
lays  down  this  corruptible  body."*  Perfection,  as  de- 
fined by  Wesley,  is  not  then  perfection  according  to  the 
absolute  moral  law ;  it  is  what  he  calls  it,  Christian 
Perfection;  perfection  according  to  the  new  moral  econ- 
omy introduced  by  the  atonement,  in  which  the  heart 
being  sanctified,  fulfills  the  law  by  love,  (Rom.  xii,  8, 
1 0,)  and  its  involuntary  imperfections  are  provided  for, 
by  that  economy,  without  the  imputation  of  guilt,  as 
in  the  case  of  infancy  and  all  irresponsible  persons.  The 
only  question,  then,  can  be,  Is  it  possible  for  good  men 
so  to  love  God  that  all  their  conduct,  inward  and  pit- 
ward,  shall  be  swayed  by  love  ?  that  even  their  invol- 
untary defects  shall  be  swayed  by  it  ?  Is  there  such  a 
thing  as  the  inspired  writer  calls  the  "  perfect  love " 
Avhich  "casteth  out  fear?"  (1  John  iv,  18.)  Wesley 
believed  that  there  is ;  that  it  is  the  privilege  of  all 
saints  ;  and  that  it  is  to  be  received  by  faith. 

In  a  letter  to  one  of  his  female  correspondents  he 
says :  "  I  Avant  you  to  be  all  love.  This  is  the  perfec- 
tion I  believe  and  teach  ;  and  this  perfection  is  consist- 
ent with  a  thousand  nervous  disorders,  which  that  high 
strained  perfection  is  not.  Indeed,  my  judgment  is,  that 
(in  this  case  particularly)  to  overdo  is  to  imdo;  and  that 
to  set  perfection  too  high,  is  the  most  effectual  way  of 
driving  it  out  of  the  world."  When  he  thus  explained 
his  opinion  to  Bishop  Gibson,  the  prelate,  replied:  "  Why, 
Mr.  Wesley,  if  this  is  what  you  mean  by  perfection,  who 
can  be  against  it  ?"  "  Man,"  he  says,  "  in  his  present 
state,  can  no  more  attain  Adamic  than  angelic  perfection. 
The  perfection  of  which  man  is  capable,  while  he  dwells 
in  a  corruptible  body,  is  the  complying  with  that  kind 
command:  'My  son,  give  me  thy  heart!'  It  is  the 
*  Letter  190,  Works,  vol.  vi. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


57 


loving  the  Lord  his  God,  with  all  his  heart,  and  with  all 
his  soul,  and  with  all  his  mind."  Such  is  his  much  mis- 
represented doctrine  of  Christian  Perfection.* 

EXPERIENCE  OF  SANCTIFICATION. 

A  mind  so  profoundly  imbued  with  religious  earnest- 
ness as  that  of  young  Bangs,  could  pot  fail  to  seize  on  a 
truth  like  this.  "From  reading  the  Holy  Scriptures,"  he 
writes,  "  Mr.  Wesley's  '  Plain  Account  of  Christian  Per- 
fection,' and  Mr.  Fletcher's  writings  on  the  subject,  I 
clearly  saw  the  necessity  of  a  deeper  piety  than  I  had  yet 
attained;  of  being  sanctified  throughout,  soul,  body,  and 
spirit.  As  I  went  on  in  observance  of  God's  commands, 
divine  light  shone  more  brightly  upon  my  understanding, 
disclosing  to  me  the  remaining  impurities  of  my  nature. 
This  gave  me  a  more  and  more  acute  sense  of  my  native 
depravity  than  I  had  ever  had,  so  much  so,  that  doubts 
were  sometimes  excited  in  my  inexperienced  mind 
whether  I  had  indeed  been  justified.  And  yet  on  mature 
reflection  I  could  not  question  the  reality  of  the  change 
which  the  Spirit  of  God  had  wrought  in  my  heart,  for  I 
felt  no  condemnation  for  past  sins,  and  I  was  often  blessed 
with  great  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  My  expe- 
rience verified  St.  Paul's  description  of  the  justified  man  : 
'  Being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace  with  God  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'  My  conscience  also  was  extreme- 
ly tender,  so  that  I  could  not  neglect  any  known  duty, 
as  fasting,  secret  prayer,  social  or  public  worship  in  class- 
meetings  or  the  congregation,  or  exhorting  others  to  flee 
the  wrath  to  come,  in  doing  which  I  enjoyed  much  in- 
ward comfort,  and  rejoiced  in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God. 
But  notwithstanding  all  this,  I  felt  such  an  exquisite 
sense  of  moral  defect  that  I  was  led,  like  Job,  to  abhor 
myself  as  in  dust  and  ashes.  There  was,  however,  a  great 
difference  between  my  present  distress  and  my  former 

*  History  of  the  Religious  Movement  of  the  Eighteenth  Century, 
called  Methodism,  etc.,  vol.  i,  405;  vol.  ii,  411. 


58 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OP 


sense  of  condemnation.  Formerly  I  was  condemned  as 
a  guilty  sinner,  and  hardly  dared,  to  look  up  to  God  for 
mercy  ;  now  I  felt  reconciled  to  him,  could  pray  in  faith, 
and  enjoyed  peace,  while  a  sweet  compunction  weighed  me 
down  at  the  footstool  of  divine  mercy.  I  hated  sin  with 
a  perfect  hatred,  and  consequently  felt  an  utter  aversion 
to  all  its  pleasures.  #Such  confidence  had  I  in  the  Chris- 
tian purity  and  iufluence  of  Mr.  Warner,  who  professed 
the  blessing  of  sanctification,  and,  I  doubt  not,  enjoyed 
it,  that  I  loved  his  very  presence,  and  in  prayer-meetings 
I  wished  to  kneel  close  by  his  side. 

"  In  this  temper  I  went  struggling  on  for  some  time, 
until,  on  the  6th  of  February,  1801,  being  that  evening 
on  a  visit  to  a  pious  family  with  some  Christian  friends, 
we  conversed  till  quite  late  on  religious  subjects,  and 
then  prayed,  as  was  the  Methodist  custom ;  for  Method- 
ists in  that  day  seldom  parted  from  even  their  casual 
interviews  without  prayer.  When  we  knelt,  I  felt  an 
unusually  earnest  spirit  of  devotion.  Mr.  Warner  first 
prayed,  and,  without  rising,  called  upon  me  to  pray. 
When  I  commenced,  my  emotions  deepened,  my  desire 
for  a  pure  heart  became  intense,  and  my  faith  grew 
stronger  and  stronger.  My  supplications  were  import- 
unate, so  that  I  know  not  how  long  I  continued  to  pray. 
When  I  ceased,  I  sank  down  into  an  inexpressible  calm- 
ness, as  lying  passive  at  the  feet  of  God.  I  felt  relieved 
and  comforted,  as  though  I  had  been  'cleansed  from  all 
filthiness  of  the  flesh  and  spirit.'  I  had  no  extraordinary 
rapture,  no  more  than  I  had  often  experienced  before,  but 
such  a  sense  of  my  own  littleness  that  I  thought,  '  What 
a  wonder  is  it  that  God  condescends  to  notice  me  at  all !' 
All  my  inward  distress  was  gone.  I  could  look  up  with 
a  childlike  composure  and  trust,  and  behold  God  as  my 
heavenly  Father. 

"  We  staid  all  night,  and  the  next  morning  in  family 
prayer  I  seemed  surrounded  with  the  divine  glory.  I 
certainly  was  filled  at  that  time  with  the  'perfect  love 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


GO 


which  casteth  out  fear,'  for  I  had  no  fear  of  death  or 
judgment.  I  could  trust  all  things  to  my  merciful  God, 
through  my  infinitely  sufficient  Redeemer.  Such  a  sense 
of  God's  ineffable  goodness  pervaded  my  soul,  that  I 
seemed  to  sink,  confounded  by  his  very  love,  into  noth- 
ingness before  him.  I  felt  that  I  was  the  least  of  all 
saints,  but  had  an  evidence  bright  as  the  noonday  sun 
that  all  my  sins  were  taken  away,  and  that  without  fear 
I  could  depart  and  be  with  Christ  at  any  moment  he 
should  see  fit  to  call  me. 

"I  here  simply  relate  the  facts  as  they  occurred. 
The  change  in  my  nature  was  as  evident  to  me  as  had 
been  my  justification.  Whatever  name  others  may 
attach  to  this  gracious  experience,  I  believe  I  was  then 
sanctified  by  the  Spirit  of  God  mercifully  given  unto 
me. 

CALL  TO  PREACH. 

"  Having  been  made  a  partaker  of  this  great  bless- 
ing, the  thought  that  I  must  preach  the  Gospel  recur- 
red to  my  conscience  with  increased  force;  but  being 
more  deeply  sensible  than  ever  of  my  deficiency  in  the 
qualifications  requisite  for  so  responsible  a  work,  I  dared 
not  yet  to  yield  to  the  impression,  though  it  followed 
me  by  day  and  by  night.  Nor  did  I  open  my  mind  to 
any  one  respecting  it,  lest  it  might  be  imputed  to  vanity 
or  pride.  I  prayed  much  that  God  would  show  me 
plainly  my  duty.  One  day,  as  I  was  walking  the  road, 
in  deep  meditation  upon  this  subject,  a  sudden  ray  of 
divine  illumination  struck  my  mind  like  a  flash  of  light- 
ning, accompanied  with  the  words,  'I  have  anointed 
thee  to  preach  the  Gospel.'  I  sank  to  the  ground,  and 
cried  out,  '  Here  am  I !'  " 

Sublime  culmination  of  a  heroic  soul !  a  soul  overcom- 
ing the  world,  and — still  greater  achievement — overcom- 
ing itself ;  struggling  through  years  of  internal  combat; 
laying  hold,  in  the  American  desert,  upon  the  highest 


60 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


ideal  of  moral  character  taught  by  the  saints  of  the  elder 
world  ;  and  listening  for  a  voice  from  the  higher  world 
to  summon  him  to  live  and  die  an  apostle  of  divine  truth! 
To  one  class  Qjf  minds  this  record  of  moral  conflict  and 
triumph  will  present  only  the  history  of  a  morbid  tem- 
perament. Another  will  accept  it  as  an  example  of  the 
divine  regeneration  of  a  human  soul.  From  all  candid 
minds,  however  predisposed  to  rationalistic  solutions  of 
its  problems,  its  examples  of  a  struggling  conscience, 
of  devout  aspirations,  of  self-denial,  and  of  final  and  life- 
long consecration,  will  command  not  only  respect,  but 
reverence. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


61 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  HINTS  KANT  MINISTRY. 

He  was  now  to  enter  the  humble  ministry  of  Method- 
ism, that  itinerant  host  of  evangelists  which  "Wesley 
had  organized  and  extended  throughout  the  Anglo-Saxon 
world,  and  which,  for  its  heroic  character  and  extraordi- 
nary labors,  sufferings,  and  successes,  has  been  called 
the  legio  tonans  of  modern  Protestantism.  He  had 
heard  marvelous  stories  about  it  from  the  time  that  Lee 
arrived  in  his  native  state ;  had  read  in  the  writings  of 
Wesley,  and  other  publications,  with  admiring  wonder, 
of  its  almost  military  discipline,  its  hardships  and  tri- 
umphs. He  had  seen  it  exemplified  in  the  persons  of  its 
Canadian  pioneers,  Coleman,  Jewell,  and  Sawyer,  who 
had  penetrated  to  the  remote  settlements  whither  he  had 
wandered. 

It  presented  romantic  attractions  to  his  fervid  spirit, 
notwithstanding  its  extreme  privations  and  toils.  He 
even  dreamed  about  it.  John  Wesley  seemed  yet  its  great 
apostle,  calling  him  in  the  night-watches  to  its  invincible 
ranks.  On  a  mountain  height  he  saw  the  mighty  evan- 
gelist "  passing  with  great  velocity  in  a  chariot  of  light, 
throwing  out  to  him  a  shining  sword  and  crying,  '  Take 
this  and  conquer  !' "  "  I  awoke,"  he  writes,  "  and  behold 
it  was  a  dream,  but  one  of  thrilling  suggestions." 

EXPERIMENT  IN  PREACHING. 

Joseph  Sawyer  returned,  again  and  again,  to  the  settle- 
ment in  his  rapid  ministerial  tours,  and  now  became  his 
providential  guide.  Joseph  Sawyer  was  a  distinguished 
preacher  of  that  day,  a  Boanerges  in  the  desert.  He 


62 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


saw  in  the  youthful  convert  the  qualities  requisite  for 
the  itinerant  ministry  of  the  times.  He  admitted  no 
delay ;  for  there  were  then  no  better  means  of  qualifica- 
tion for  the  Methodist  ministry  than  its  practical  work, 
and  the  moral  destitution  of  the  country  required  imme- 
diately all  possible  labor.  The  young  disciple  yielded 
to  his  urgency.  "  Strongly  pressed,"  he  says,  "  by  Mr. 
Sawyer,  whose  fatherly  care  for  me  I  shall  never  forget, 
I  consented  to  make  a  trial  in  a  little  society  about  fifteen 
miles  from  my  home.  I  went  on  Saturday  ;  I  was  up 
early  on  Sunday  morning  and  earnestly  prayed  for  divine 
aid.  My  mind  was  sorely  oppressed,  and  in  family 
prayer  I  was  much  bound  in  spirit,  and  wished  I  had  not 
undertaken  the  task.  The  principal  part  of  the  time, 
after  rising  from  my  bed  till  the  hour  appointed  for  the 
meeting,  I  spent  upon  my  knees.  I  felt  burdened  with 
an  insupportable  load,  and  my  mind  was  shrouded  in 
darkness.  I  finally  besought  God  that,  if  he  had  called 
me  to  preach,  he  would  be  pleased  to  open  my  mouth 
and  bless  me  and  the  people  with  the  consolation  of  his 
spirit;  but,  if  he  had  not  called  me,  he  would  shut  my 
mouth,  and  I  would  return  home  and  try  no  more.  Aft- 
er coming  to  this  conclusion  I  was  tranquil,  and  waited 
the  result  with  resignation.  The  people  assembled,  and, 
after  singing  and  prayer,  I  no  sooner  opened  my  mouth 
than  the  Lord  filled  it  with  words  and  arguments;  the 
Scriptures  seemed  like  a  fruitful  field  before  me.  The 
word  of  God  was  like  fire  in  my  bones,  and  its  utterance 
was  attended  with  the  'Holy  Ghost  and  with  power.'  I 
felt  as  if  I  were  in  the  very  suburbs  of  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem,  and  the  people  of  God  were  refreshed  as 
with  new  wine.  The  Lord  indeed  answered  '  as  by  fire 
from  heaven.' 

ANOTHER  EXPERIMENT. 

"  I  then  thought  I  could  never  again  doubt  my  call 
to  the  ministry;  but,  alas  for  the  unbelief  of  the  human 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


03 


heart !  '  except  ye  see  signs  and  wonders  ye  will  not 
believe ! '  Soon  after  this  time  I  had  an  appointment  in 
the  neighborhood  of  my  sister's  residence.  I  was  much 
perplexed  for  a  text,  and  could  find  none  that  suited  me. 
I  finally  concluded  to  abandon  the  thought  of  preaching 
and  meet  the  people,  sing,  pray,  exhort,  and  send  them 
home.  I  went  to  the  meeting  with  this  determination. 
After  rising  from  my  knees  I  took  uj)  my  little  Bible, 
opened  it,  and  the  first  words  I  saw  I  read,  and  the  first 
thoughts  that  came  to  my  mind  I  spoke,  and  thus  I 
went  on  through  a  sermon.  I  doubt  whether  I  have 
ever  had  greater  liberty  in  preaching  from  that  day  to 
this ;  I  was  at  no  loss  for  ideas  or  words.  I  preached 
about  three  quarters  of  an  hour.  The  text  was,  'But 
when  the  husbandmen  saw  him,  they  reasoned  among 
themselves,  saying,  This  is  the  heir :  come,  let  us  kill  him, 
that  the  inheritance  maybe  ours.'  Luke  xx,  14.  I  have 
never  preached  on  them  since,  nor  do  I  remember  how 
I  then  treated  them.  They  were  given  to  me,  I  believe, 
for  the  occasion,  for  the  people  appeared  as  if  thunder- 
struck, and  the  effect  was  remarkable."  He  does  not, 
however,  record  this  fact  as  an  example  for  others; 
thus  used  it  would  be  abused  ;  he  considered  it  as  a  gra- 
cious and  special  condescension  of  God  to  his  peculiar 
weakness. 

SUCCESS  AND  DEFEAT. 

Sawyer  now  determined  to  initiate  him  into  the 
"itinerancy"  by  taking  him  around  the  circuit.  "At 
the  first  appointment  he  said  I  must  exhort  after  he 
had  preached,  a  customary  thing  in  that  day  among 
Methodists.  I  sat  trembling  during  the  sermon,  for,  in 
addition  to  the  consciousness  of  my  inadequacy  for  the 
ministerial  work,  my  natural  timidity  was  so  extreme 
that  it  almost  unfitted  me  for  any  public  exercise.  When 
I  rose  to  follow  him  I  shook  in  every  limb,  my  lips 
stiffened,  and  I  could  hardly  speak ;  but  soon  they  were 


64 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OP 


loosed,  and  the  power  of  the  Spirit  descended  on  the 
assembly  in  suck  a  manner  that  some  sobbed  aloud, 
some  praised  God  audibly,  and  others  fell  to  the  floor  as 
if  shot  dead.  I  felt  unusually  comforted  and  encouraged ; 
but  the  adversary  took  advantage  of  my  inexperience  by 
suggesting  to  my  mind,  'See  what  you  have  done. 
You  have  excelled  even  the  preacher !'  I  said,  '  Get  thee 
behind  me,  Satan !  It  is  not  I  that  do  these  things,  but 
the  grace  of  God  that  dwelleth  in  me  !'  The  tempta- 
tion, however,  pursued  me  all  the  rest  of  that  day  and 
the  following,  until  we  reached  the  next  appointment, 
where  the  Lord  humbled  me  by  showing  me  my  own 
Aveakness.  There,  when  I  rose  to  exhort,  my  mind  was 
barren ;  I  could  only  stammer  out  a  few  words,  and  at 
last  sat  down,  utterly  confounded  and  mortified.  What 
a  merciful  God  have  we  to  deal  with !  This  mortifica- 
tion was  one  of  his  greatest  blessings  to  me ;  it  taught 
me  a  necessary  lesson  which  has  never  been  forgotten. 

"  On  the  fifth  day  of  our  tour  I  consented  to  try  to 
preach.  I  took  for  my  text  the  words,  'One  thing  I 
know,  that  whereas  I  was  once  blind,  now  I  see.'  I 
went  blundering  on,  as  I  thought,  from  beginning  to 
end,  though  Mr.  Sawyer  said  I  preached  a  good  sermon. 
Among  other  blunders  I  made  a  very  palpable  miscita- 
tion  or  misapplication  of  a  passage  from  Milton.  I  im- 
mediately perceived  my  mistake,  but  could  find  no  ready 
way  of  correcting  it.  I  tried  hard,  but  only  made  it 
worse.  I  sank  into  the  quagmire  of  my  confusion,  and 
sat  down,  covered  with  humiliation  and  shame.  No 
sooner  was  the  meeting  concluded  than  I  set  off",  pro- 
foundly chagrined,  to  get  my  horse.  The  preacher,  sus- 
pecting my  purpose,  hastened  toward  me  and  asked  me 
where  I  was  going.  'For  my  horse,'  I  replied,  'and 
then  for  home,  as  I  have  disgraced  the  cause  of  my 
God  and  killed  the  Church  here !'  The  good  man  com- 
forted me,  and  persuaded  me  to  relinquish  my  design. 
I  wept  bitterly  over  my  infirmities.    We  kept  on  around 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.0. 


the  circuit.  I  tried  to  preach  several  times,  and  again 
had  good  success.  Thus  was  I  trained,  experimentally ; 
it  was  the  only  ministerial  preparation  practicable  to  one 
under  my  circumstances."  They  ended  the  journey  at 
an  "old-fashioned"  quarterly  meeting  at  Lyon's  Creek." 
He  had  been  "broken  in,"  rudely  enough,  so  far  as  his 
feelings  were  concerned,  but  with  salutary  lessons,  which 
were  to  be  serviceable  through  all  the  rest  of  his  life. 

BECOMES  AN  ITINERANT. 

In  the  month  of  August,  1801,  about  one  year  after 
he  had  joined  the  Church,  and  three  months  after  he 
had  been  licensed  as  an  cxhorter,  he  received  license  to 
preach,  and  immediately  departed  for  a  circuit.  Having 
earned  some  money  as  a  surveyor,  in  addition  to  his 
salary  as  teacher,  he  was  able  to  purchase  an  outfit  of 
clothing,  and  a  horse  and  its  furniture,  not  forgetting 
the  indispensable  saddle-bags  of  the  "itinerant."  "I 
sold,"  he  says,  "my  surveyor's  instruments  to  a  friend 
whom  I  had  taught  the  art,  mounted  my  horse  and  rode 
forth  to  'sound  the  alarm'  in  the  wilderness,  taking  no 
further  thought  '  what  I  should  eat,  or  drink,  or  where- 
withal I  should  be  clothed.'"  He  had  now  learned  to 
trust  the  divine  guidance  unfalteringly,  for  God  "had 
found  him  in  a  desert  land,  and  in  the  waste,  howling 
wilderness  ;  he  had  led  him.  about ;  had  instructed  him  ; 
had  kept  him  as  the  apple  of  his  eye.  As  an  eagle 
stirreth  up  her  nest,  fluttereth  over  her  young,#preadeth 
abroad  her  wings,  taketh  them,  beareth  them  on  her 
wings,  so  the  Lord  alone  did  lead  him." 

5 


06 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER  VI. 

METHODISM  ITS  ORIGIN. 

•  Early  in  the  eighteenth  century,  Voltaire  predicted 
that  in  the  next  generation  Christianity  would  be  over- 
thrown throughout  the  civilized  world.  At  the  moment 
of  this  audacious  prophecy,  a  band  of  devout  students  of 
Oxford  University  were  laying,  in  penitence,  prayer,  and 
divine  studies,  the  foundations  of  Methodism,  and  uncon- 
sciously preparing  to  initiate  a  new  era  in  ecclesiastical 
history.  The  next  generation  was  to  witness,  not  the 
decadence  of  Christianity,  but  its  greatest  resuscitation 
since  the  age  of  Luther.  The  press  upon  which  the 
works  of  Voltaire  were  printed,  in  Geneva,  was  des- 
tined to  be  used  in  the  multiplication  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. John  Wesley,  the  greatest  of  modern  ecclesi- 
astical legislators ;  Charles  Wesley,  whose  psalmody  was 
to  become  the  liturgy  of  Methodism,  and,  in  our  day, 
reverberate  along  the  outlines  of  the  world ;  George 
Whitefield,  perhaps  the  most  eloquent  preacher  of  all  the 
Christian  ages,  and  whose  voice  was  to  resound  not  only 
through  the  British  isles,  but  through  the  Anglican  col- 
onies of  iTorth  America ;  were  living,  though  unknown, 
when  Voltaire  uttered  his  prediction.  They  became  the 
chief  members  of  the  "  Holy  Club  "  of  Oxford,  the  first 
"  Methodists." 

CHARACTERISTIC  FACTS. 

It  was  a  providential  fact  that  Methodism  began  its 
march  from  within  the  gates  of  Oxford.  It  was  to  gather 
the  common  people,  by  hundreds  of  thousands,  around 
its  standard,  and  their  education  was  to  be  one  of  its 


KATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


61 


chief  responsibilities ;  its  University  prestige  was  to 
counteract  vulgar  prejudices  against  learning,  and  pre- 
dispose it  in  favor  of  educational  institutions.  Wesley 
early  established  schools  and  academies  for  his  people. 
At  his  first  "  Conference "  he  proposed  a  Theological 
Seminary  for  the  training  of  his  preachers.  His  followers 
have  provided,  in  England,  the  most  effective,  in  America, 
the  most  extensive  series  of  learned  institutions  possessed 
by  any  Protestant  body  in  the  world,  not  recognized  as  a 
State  Church. 

The  chief  distinction,  however,  of  the  Methodist  found- 
ers was  that,  though  students  of  theological  science,  and 
all  of  them  churchmen,  they  bravely  broke  away  from 
dogmatic  prejudices  and  ecclesiastical  traditions  ;  they 
discovered  as  by  a  divine  illumination  the  paramount, 
the  supreme  importance  of  the  spiritual  life  of  Chris- 
tianity. They  went  forth  to  revive  this  life  in  the  land ; 
to  proclaim  anew,  and  almost  exclusively,  the  radical 
doctrines  which  are  essential  to  it:  the  sinfulness  of  man, 
repentance,  justification,  regeneration,  sanctification,  the 
indwelling  and  witness  of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  the  human 
soul ;  and  the  visible  proofs  of  this  divine  life,  in  the  com- 
munion of  saints  and  in  all  good  words  and  works.  Dog- 
matic controversies  sometimes  intervened,  but  they  were 
transient,  and  hastily  set  aside  for  the  one  great  purpose 
of  "  spreading  holiness  over  these  lands,"  as  Wesley  per- 
sistently professed. 

This,  in  fine,  is  the  true  historical  standpoint  of  Meth- 
odism. Its  practical  system,  or  "  discipline,"  was  rigor- 
ously conformed  to  this  supreme  purpose.  Wesley  did 
not  devise  his  system ;  he  adopted  it,  as,  from  time  to 
time,  its  principal  facts  were  evolved  in  the  "  move- 
ment;" that  is  to  say,  providentially  suggested,  as  he  be- 
lieved. He  long  hoped  that  the  Establishment,  to  which 
he  was  loyally  attached,  would  be  spiritually  reformed, 
and  its  clergy  become  his  colaborers.  He  was  disappoint- 
ed ;  he  was  excluded  from  its  pulpits,  and  had  to  preach 


GS 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


on  the  highways  and  in  the  market-places.  His  societies, 
springing  up  in  all  the  country,  and  composed  mostly  of 
the  poor,  rescued  from  gross  vice  and  degradation,  needed 
instructors ;  he  appointed  some  of  his  most  capable  lay- 
men to  read  to  them  the  Scriptures,  and  conduct  their 
devotions  in  his  absence,  while  he,  night  and  day,  trav- 
ersed the  land.  One  of  these  laymen,  Thomas  Maxwell, 
ventured  sometimes  to  explain  and  apply  his  Scripture 
readings  ;  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon  heard  him,  and 
encouraged  him  to  "preach."  Susannah  Wesley,  a  chief 
counselor  of  her  son  for  many  years,  admonished  him  not 
to  oppose  this  innovation ;  to  her,  it  appeared  a  provi- 
dential indication  of  the  only  means  which  could  meet  the 
necessity  of  his  Societies,  now  not  only  neglected  by  the 
national  clergy,  but  repelled  from  their  sacramental  altars. 
"Wesley  had  been  a  rigid  churchman  ;  he  hesitated,  and 
argued  against  this  startling  "  irregularity  ;"  but  he  was 
at  last  compelled  to  yield  to  the  providential  necessity, 
and  thus  arose  that  mighty  lay  ministry  of  Methodism 
whose  voice  has  since  been  heard  in  most  of  the  ends  of 
the  earth.  The  dignified  reticence,  the  fastidious  tradi- 
tional prejudice,  of  the  national  clergy,  thus  led  to  the 
uprising  of  a  ministerial  host  which  has  equaled  them 
in  pulpit  talent,  at  least ;  overmatched  them  in  influence 
among  the  people ;  surpassed  them  in  appreciable  useful- 
ness, and  led  the  way,  the  vanguard  of  Christian  propa- 
gandism,  before  them  in  most  of  the  foreign  world. 

ITS  LAY  MINISTRY. 

The  lay  ministry  is  not  only  one  of  the  greatest  facts  of 
Methodism  ;  it  is  one  of  the  grandest  facts  of  modern  ec- 
clesiastical history.  It  was  specially  a  provision  for  the 
New  World.  The  era  of  transatlantic  emigration  was  at 
hand.  New  states,  as  large  as  important  European  king- 
doms, were  about  to  spring  up,  as  by  magic,  in  the  vast 
Avildernesses  of  North  America.  A  population,  chiefly 
Anglo-Saxon,  was  to  commence  a  sublime  march,  in  a  line 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


69 


extending  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  beyond  the  great 
northern  lakes,  at  an  average  westward  advancement  of 
fourteen  miles  a  year,  felling  the  primeval  forests,  open- 
ing highways,  constructing  canals  and  railroads,  found- 
ing villages,  towns,  and  cities,  erecting  schools,  colleges, 
court-houses,  and  churches.  The  human  race  had  never 
witnessed  a  scene  of  equal  moral  or  political  magnificence. 
But  how  could  the  customary  tardy  methods  of  ministe- 
rial training  provide  for  the  religious  wants  of  this  over- 
whelming population,  rolling  in  upon  the  desert  like 
billows  of  the  rising  tide  upon  the  strand  of  the  ocean? 
The  great  domains  of  the  "West  must  have  been  covered 
with  immorality  and  barbarism,  had*  no  more  immediate, 
no  extemporary  provision  met  this  moral  exigency.  Prov- 
identially, the  Mcthodistic  "movement"  began  early 
enough  to  meet  it ;  and  the  Methodist  itinerant  lay  min- 
istry actually  laid  the  moral  foundations  of  many  of  the 
mightiest  states  of  the  continent.  Methodism  became 
numerically  the  dominant  faith  of  the  country. 

METHODISM  IN  AMERICA. 

Whitefi%d  extended  the  movement  to  the  New  "World. 
Jonathan  Edwards  had  prepared  the  way  for  him.  White- 
field  crossed  the  Atlantic  thirteen  times.  He  traversed 
the  colonies  from  Georgia  to  Maine,  awakening  them  as 
by  the  trumpet  of  the  resurrection.*  Before  he  descend- 
ed into  his  American  grave,  "Wesley's  itinerants  were  on 
his  track. 

For  more  than  half  a  century,  John  Wesley,  in  his 
ministerial  travels,  seemed  ubiquitous  throughout  the 
United  Kingdom.  He  crossed  the  Irish  Channel  forty- 
two  times,  making  twenty-one  visits  to  Ireland,  and 
spending  there  about  six  years  of  his  indefatigable  life. 
In  one  of  these  visits,  in  1758,  he  was  surprised  by  the 

*  For  an  account  of  the  extent  and  results  of  Whitefield's  labors  in 
America,  see  "  The  History  of  the  Religious  Movement  of  the  Eighteenth 
Century,  called  Methodism,"  vol.  i,  passim,  but  particularly  the  last 
chapter. 


70 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


discovery,  in  the  midst  of  the  native  Celtic  population, 
of  a  Teutonic  settlement  at  Court  Mattress  and  the  neigh- 
boring villages  of  Killihcen,  Ballygarrane,  and  Pallas. 
Whence  came  these  people  ?  They  were  descendants  of 
Germans  who  had  been  expatriated  by  a  terrible  war 
from  the  Palatinate,  on  the  Rhine.  Having  no  pastors 
who  could  speak  their  own  language,  they  had  been  half 
a  century  without  religious  instruction,  and  had  sunk  into 
incredible  degradation.  Drunkenness,  profanity,  Sabbath- 
breaking,  had  become  almost  universal  among  them. 
Wesley's  itinerants  had  penetrated  their  settlements, 
and  preached  in  their  streets.  They  had  been  reclaimed, 
had  built  chapels  for  their  families,  and  the  great  evan- 
gelist declared  that  "  three  such  towns  as  Court  Mat- 
tress, Killiheen,  and  Ballygarrane  could  hardly  be  found 
elsewhere  in  Ireland  or  England."  There  was  "  no 
profanity,  no  Sabbath-breaking,  no  drunkenness,  no  ale- 
house, in  any  of  them."  Their  "  diligence  had  turned 
all  their  land  into  a  garden."  One  of  their  young  men, 
with  whom  Wesley  became  acquainted,  was  afterward 
licensed  as  a  local  preacher.  _ 

In  1760  lay  in  a  harbor  of  Ireland  a  ship  whose  decks 
were  thronged  with  emigrants  for  America,  one  of  whom 
stood  at  the  bulwarks,  taking  leave  in  a  religious  dis- 
course of  a  crowd  of  friends  and  spectators  on  the  wharf. 
The  passengers  were  "  Palatine  "  Methodists,  and  the 
speaker  was  their  young  local  preacher,  Philip  Embury. 
They  settled  in  New  York.  Philip  Embury  became  the 
recognized  founder  of  Methodism  in  the  United  States. 
He  preached  at  first  in  his  own  house,  and  formed  there 
the  first  American  Methodist  society.  Two  years  later 
he  dedicated  the  first  Methodist  chapel  on  the  continent. 

ASBURY. 

Wesley  sent  them  two  preachers  from  his  English 
Conference  of  1769  ;  at  the  session  of  1771  he  announced 
that  "  the  brethren  in  America  still  call  aloud  for  help ;  who 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D; 


71 


is  willing  to  go?"  Five  responded,  and  two  were  sent. 
One  of  these  was  a  young  man  who  had  formed  himself 
by  the  severest  ministerial  regimen  of  Methodism ;  a  man 
of  vigorous  frame,  of  few  words,  of  quick  and  accurate 
insight,  and  of  profound  humility,  not  unmixed  with 
occasional  melancholy;  a  tireless  traveler,  an  incessant 
preacher,  a  rigorous  disciplinarian,  but  exemplifying  him- 
self all  the  severity  he  enjoined  upon  others.  His  soul 
was  essentially  heroic ;  he  saw  in  the  opening  new  world 
a  field  where  he  might  labor  and  suffer  for  the  Gospel, 
in  a  manner  befitting  his  apostolic  aspirations.  He  was 
not  long  in  that  field  before  his  brethren  spontaneously 
turned  toward  him  as  their  providential  leader.  At  the 
formal  organization  of  American  Methodism,  as  an  in- 
dependent Church,  in  1784,  he  was,  at  the  instance  of 
Wesley,  elected  by  his  fellow-laborers  their  bishop. 
His  ordination  was  the  first  Protestant  consecration  to 
the  episcopal  office  in  the  new  world.*  For  forty-five 
years  he  was  now  to  traverse  the  country,  mostly  on 
horseback,  from  north  to  south,  from  east  to  west,  fol- 
lowing the  trails  of  the  Indians,  convoyed  sometimes  by 
armed  mem.  fording  rivers,  sleeping  often  on  the  ground, 
preaching  daily,  and  leading  on  the  hosts  of  his  people 
and  preachers  with  the  authority  and  ability  of  a  great 
captain.  At  his  ordination  they  comprised  less  than 
fifteen  thousand  communicants,  and  about  eighty  preach- 
ers ;  he  was  to  fall  at  last  at  the  head  of  two  hundred 
and  eleven  thousand  communicants,  and  seven  hundred 
traveling  preachers.  His  ministerial  travels  were  to 
exceed  those  of  Wesley  himself,  being  about  six  thou- 
sand miles  a  year ;  equal  to  the  circumference  of  the  globe 
every  four  years.  During  the  forty-five  years  of  his 
American  ministry  he  was  to  average  at  least  one  ser- 
mon a  day,  to  preside  in  two  hundred  and  twenty-four 
annual  conferences,  and  ordain  more  than  four  thousand 

*  Unless  some  of  the  small  Moravian  communities  of  America  had 
previously  >rdained  hishopa. 


72 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


preachers.  He  was  to  continue  to  travel  and  preach  till 
his  tottering  frame  had  to  be  aided  up  the  pulpit  stairs ; 
till  he  could  no  longer  stand,  but  had  to  sit  while  ad- 
dressing the  wondering  throngs  that  hung  upon  his 
words.  Such  was  Francis  Asbury,  bishop  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  by  the  imposition  of  whose 
hands  Nathan  Bangs  was  to  be  ordained  to  the  Christian 
ministry.  The  authority  of  no  man  since  the  apostolic 
age  could  more  legitimately  consecrate  the  young  preach- 
er to  his  high  office. 

GREAT  SUCCESS  CANADA. 

With  such  a  man  at  the  head  of  the  new  denomina- 
tion, it  could  not  fail  of  success  ;  it  broke  out  on  the 
right  and  on  the  left ;  scores,  hundreds  of  "  itinerants," 
many  of  them  the  "giants  of  those  days,"  entered  its 
militant  ministry.  The  example  of  their  episcopal  leader 
vindicated  the  severity  of  their  work  and  their  sufferings, 
and  rendered  both  heroic.  They  courageously  went 
wherever  he  sent  them,  and  the  post  of  most  danger 
or  hardship  was  the  post  of  most  honor.  By  the  pres- 
ent period  of  our  narrative,  1801,  they  were  traveling  as 
far  south  as  Georgia,  as  far  north  as  Canada,  as  far  east 
as  Maine,  and  as  far  west  as  the  Mississippi.  The  "  old 
Western  Conference"  was  already  organized,  the  only 
conference  then  beyond  the  Alleghanies ;  it  was  soon  to 
extend  from  Detroit  to  Natchez  ;  the  great  frontier  battle- 
ground of  Methodism,  where  Cartwright,  Finley,  Young, 
Blakeman,  Winans,  Lakin,  Quinn,  and  other  giant  men, 
now  or  soon  after,  bore  forward  the  cross  in  the  van  of 
emigration,  traveling  vast  circuits,  on  some  parts  of 
which  they  had  to  be  protected  from  the  savages  by 
armed  escorts.  The  denomination  reported  now  more 
than  seventy  thousand  communicants  and  more  than 
three  hundred  preachers.  Canada  was  already  a  Meth- 
odist district.  In  1790  William  Losee,  a  member  of  the 
New  York  Conference,  penetrated  through  the  western 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


73 


wilds  of  the  state,  enduring  great  hardships,  and  crossed 
Lake  Ontario  to  Kingston.*  He  is  usually  supposed  to 
have  formed  the  first  Canadian  Methodist  Society.f  He 
was  joined  the  next  year  by  Darius  Dunham,  and  two 
circuits  were  formed,  reporting  at  the  ensuing  conference 
one  hundr%d  and  sixty-five  members.  Canada  reported 
five  circuits  in  1801.  The  following  year  the  name  of  Na- 
than Bangs  appeared  in  the  brief  catalogue  of  ten  self- 
sacrificing  men  who  were  traveling  the  remote  and  vast 
region,  he  having  traveled  the  preceding  year  "  under  the 
presiding  elder."  During  six  years  he  is  still  to  brave  its 
inclement  climate  and  privations,  laboring  from  its  most 
western  settlements  down  to  Montreal  and  Quebec. 
There  were  now  about  eleven  hundred  and  sixty  Meth- 
odists scattered  through  the  Province,  but  without  a 
single  place  of  worship  entitled  to  the  name  of  church 

*  Bangs's  History  says  1791.  See,  however,  letter  of  Rev.  Anson 
Green,  March  2,  18G0,  in  the  (Canada)  Christian  Guardian:  "  Losee 
formed  the  first  class  at  Adolphusville  in  1790  ;  the  second  at  Earnest- 
town,  on  the  Bay  Shore,  (date  uncertain  ;)  the  third  on  the  2d  of 
March,  1791,  near  Napanee." 

t  In  Canada,  however,  as  in  many  other  parts  of  the  globe,  Method- 
ism was  first  introduced  by  a  local  preacher.  A  Mr.  Neel,  from  the 
United  States,  preached  before  Losee's  arrival,  at  Queenstown.  Bangs, 
in  the  History  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  (vol.  ii,  page  122, 
note,)  says  :  "  He  was  a  holy  man  of  God,  and  an  able  minister  of  the 
New  Testament.  His  word  was  blessed  to  the  awakening  and  conver- 
sion of  many  souls,  and  he  was  always  spoken  of  by  the  people  with 
great  affection  and  veneration  as  the  pioneer  of  Methodism  in  that 
country.  Among  those  who  first  joined  the  Society  may  be  mentioned 
Christian  Warner,  who  lived  near  what  is  now  called  St.  David's.  He 
oecame  a  class-leader,  and  his  house  was  a  home  for  the  preachers  and 
for  preaching  for  many  years.  He  was  considered  a  father  in  Israel  by 
all  who  knew  him.  The  first  Methodist  meeting-house  erected  iu 
that  part  of  the  country  was  in  his  neighborhood."  Cotemporane- 
ous  with,  if  not  before  Neel's  labors,  members  of  the  families  of  Em- 
bury and  Heck,  the  founders  of  Methodism  in  New  York,  introduced 
it  into  Canada.  A  letter  dated  Frankford,  (Canada,)  Feb.  25,  I860, 
says:  "The  first  period  of  Methodism  in  Canada  may  be  assigned  to 
the  years  from  the  settling  of  the  Hecks  and  Embury  in  Augusta,  until 
the  arrival  of  the  first  itinerant,  thirteen  years,  or  from  1778  to  1791. 
[See  note  above.]  The  second  period  may  be  considered  from  the 
itinerancy  of  Losee  in  1791  to  the  beginning  of  the  wa*r  in  1812." 


74 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


or  chapel.  He  was  to  leave  them  more  than  doubled  in 
number,  (2,360,)  and  with  that  supply  of  chapels  begun 
which  has  since  dotted  most  of  the  country ;  and  he  was 
to  live  to  see  Methodism  numerically  the  strongest  form 
of  Protestantism  in  British  North  America,  except  the 
national  Church.  • 

EAELY  CANADIAN  ITINERANTS. 

The  saintly  and  chivalric  itinerants  with  whom  he  was 
associated  in  Canada  were  ever  afterward  dear  to  his 
memory.  They  formed  his  character  as  a  Methodist 
preacher ;  he  delighted  to  speak  of  them  in  his  latter 
years  as  the  champions  of  the  cross  in  those  borean 
regions,  transcending  in  labors  if  not  in  sufferings  the 
early  French  missionaries,  who  had  preceded  them  in  the 
same  field.  He  alludes  to  them  often,  and  with  glowing 
language,  in  his  History  of  Methodism.  We  have  al- 
ready met  with  the  name  of  James  Coleman,  an  itinei-- 
ant,  who,  the  historian  records,  bore  for  some  time  the 
scar  of  a  blow  on  the  forehead,  struck  by  a  persecutor 
in  whose  cabin  he  was  uttering  words  of  comfort  to  an 
awakened  soul.  Of  Hezekiah  Calvin  "Wooster  he  speaks 
with  emphasis.  "His  name  is  'like  ointment  poured 
forth'  to  many  in  that  country,  and  he  used  to  be 
spoken  of  as  an  extraordinary  messenger  of  God,  sent 
to  declare  his  counsels.  After  exerting  all  his  powers 
of  body  and  mind  in  beseeching  sinners  to  be  reconciled 
to  God,  he  returned  home  with  the  fatal  consumption 
fastened  upon  his  lungs.  But  even  while  in  this  feeble 
state,  so  reduced  as  not  to  be  able  to  speak  above  a 
whisper,  this  whisper,  being  announced  to  the  congrega- 
tion by  another,  was  frequently  attended  by  such  a  divine 
energy  and  unction  that  sinners  would  tremble  and  fall 
under  the  announcement.  It  is  said  indeed  that  his 
very  countenance  exhibited  such  reflections  of  the  divine 
glory,  that  it  struck  conviction  into  the  hearts  of  many 
who  beheld  tt.    '  Behold  how  great  a  matter  a  little 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


75 


fire  kindleth :'  though  Hezekiah  Calvin  Wooster  could 
not  be  regarded  as  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  talents 
as  a  preacher,  yet  such  was  the  holy  fervor  of  his 
spirit,  his  deep  devotion  to  God,  his  burning  love  for  the 
souls  of  his  fellow-men,  that  he  was  the  instrument  of 
kindling  up  such  a  fire  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  where- 
ever  he  went,  particularly  in  Upper  Canada,  that  all  the 
waters  of  strife  and  opposition  have  not  been  able  to 
quench  it.  This  testimony  I  consider  due  to  such  de- 
parted worth.  The  grace  of  God  wrought  mightily  in 
him,  and  great  was  his  glorying  in  the  cross  of  Christ ; 
nor  did  he  glory  in  aught  else,  for  he  was  as  much  dis- 
tinguished for  his  humility,  his  deadness  to  self  and  to 
applause,  as  he  was  for  the  fervor  of  his  spirit,  the 
strength  of  his  faith,  and  the  boldness  and  pointedness 
of  his  appeals  to  the  consciences  of  the  people." 

In  1796  Wooster  volunteered,  with  Samuel  Coate,  to 
join  the  few  Methodist  pioneers  beyond  the  Canada  line. 
His  history  during  that  expedition  would  form  a  romantic 
and  almost  incredible  narrative.  Three  weeks  were  spent 
on  their  route,  during  which  they  lodged  every  night 
under  the  trees  of  the  forest.  He  traveled  about  three 
years  in  Canada,  preaching  almost  daily,  and  with  a  power 
seldom  equaled  in  the  history  of  the  Christian  ministry. 
There  was,  indeed,  an  energy  in  his  words  quite  irre- 
sistible. The  dwellers  in  the  wilderness,  long  destitute  of 
the  means  of  religion,  heard  with  amazement  his  simple 
but  overwhelming  eloquence,  and  often  fell,  in  their  forest 
congregations,  like  dead  men,  under  his  ministrations. 
"  O  what  awful  sensations,"  exclaims  Dr.  Bangs,  "  ran 
through  the  assemblies  while  Calvin  Wooster  and  others 
of  like  spirit  were  denouncing  the  just  judgments  of  God 
against  impenitent  sinners,  in  such  pointed  language  as 
made  the  '  ear  to  tingle '  and  the  heart  to  palpitate !" 
He  was  a  man  of  Abrahamic  faith,  and  his  prayers  seem- 
ed directly  to  enter  heaven  and  prevail  with  God.  He 
maintained  an  unceasing  spirit  of  prayer.    Often  at  mid- 


76 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


night  would  he  rise  to  pray,  while  the  inmates  of  the 
house  where  he  made  his  temporary  abode  were  awed  by 
the  solemn  voice  of  his  supplications  ascending  amid  the 
silence.  Such  was  the  unction  of  his  spirit,  and  the  power 
of  his  appeals  to  the  wicked,  that  few  of  them  could  stand 
before  him  ;  they  would  either  rush  out  of  the  assembly 
or  fall  to  the  floor. 

"  Nor  was  he  alone  in  this  respect.  The  other 
preachers  caught  the  flame,  and  were  carried  forward 
under  its  sacred  impulses  in  their  Master's  work.  Many 
instances  of  the  manifestations  of  divine  power  and 
grace  might  be  narrated,  which  illustrate  the  authority 
by  which  these  men  of  God  preached,  one  of  which  I  will 
relate.  At  a  quarterly  meeting  in  the  Bay  of  Quinte 
circuit,  as  the  preacher  began  his  sermon,  a  thought- 
less young  man  in  the  front  gallery  commenced,  in  a 
playful  mood,  to  swear  profanely,  and  otherwise  to  dis- 
turb the  congregation.  The  preacher  paid  no  attention 
to  him  until  he  was  in  the  middle  of  his  sermon,  when, 
feeling  strong  in  the  Lord  and  in  the  power  of  his  might, 
suddenly  stopping,  he  fixed  his  piercing  eye  upon  the 
profane  man,  and  pointing  his  finger  at  him  with  great 
energy,  cried  out,  '  My  God,  smite  himP  He  instantly 
fell,  as  if  shot  through  the  heart  with  a  bullet.  At  this 
moment,  such  a  divine  afflatus  came  down  upon  the  con- 
gregation that  sinners  were  crying  to  God  for  mercy  in 
every  direction,  while  the  saints  of  God  burst  forth  in 
loud  praises  to  his  name.  Similar  instances  of  God's 
gracious  presence  were  not  uncommon  in  those  days  in 
that  country.  Indeed,  this  great  work  may  be  said  to 
have  been  in  some  sense  the  beginning  of  that  revival  of 
religion  which  soon  after  spread  through  various  parts 
of  the  United  States." 

William  Anson,  another  of  Nathan  Bangs's  colaborers, 
was  also  one  of  the  mighty  men  of  those  days.  He  con- 
tinued two  years  beyond  the  line,  and  afterward  traveled 
circuits  in  New  York  and  New  England ;  he  returned 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


77 


to  Canada,  and  then  served  again  in  the  states,  as 
presiding  elder.  One  of  his  districts  extended  from 
Rbinebeck,  New  York,  to  New  Haven,  Connecticut. 
"  He  had  his  full  share  of  hardships,"  says  the  obituary 
of  the  Minutes,  "  but  never  flinched." 

Seth  Crowell  was  another  of  the  early  Canadian  itin- 
erants. He  joined  the  Church  in  Connecticut,  entered 
the  New  York  Conference  in  1801,  and  offered  himself 
immediately  as  a  volunteer  for  Canada,  where  he  spent 
two  years.  Dr.  Bangs  says,  "  He  was  a  young  preacher 
of  great  zeal,  and  of  the  most  indefatigable  industry,  and 
going  into  that  country,  he  soon  caught  the  flame  of  di- 
vine love  which  had  been  enkindled  by  the  instrumental- 
ity of  TVooster,  Coate,  and  Dunham.  He  entered  into 
the  work  with  great  energy  and  perseverance,  and  God 
blessed  his  labors  with  much  success.  So  greatly  had 
God  prospered  the  labors  of  his  faithful  servants  in  this 
province,  that  there  were  returned,  in  the  Minutes  of 
Conference  fgr  the  year  1801,  1,159  members  of  the 
Church.  It  had  indeed  extended  into  the  lower  prov- 
ince, on  the  Ottawa  River,  an  English  settlement  about 
fifty  miles  west  of  Montreal."  He  possessed  superior 
talents,  "  and,"  say  his  brethren,  in  the  Conference  Min- 
utes, "  was  often  heard  to  speak  in  demonstration  of  the 
Spirit  and  power,  and  was  instrumental  in  the  conversion 
of  many  souls." 

Dr.  Bangs  thus  summarily  refers  to  his  colaborers  in 
this  distant  field,  in  the  year  1801 :  "In  Upper  Canada, 
the  glorious  revival  extended  up  the  shore  of  Lake  On- 
tario, even  to  the  head  of  the  lake  and  to  Niagara,  and 
thence  to  Long  Point,  on  the  northwestern  shore  of  Lake 
Erie,  including  four  large  four  weeks'  circuits.  The  dis- 
trict this  year  was  under  the  charge  of  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Jewell,  who  traveled  expensively  through  the  newly-set- 
tled country,  preaching  in  log-houses,  in  barns,  and  some- 
times in  groves,  and  everywhere  beholding  the  displays 
of  the  power  and  grace  of  God  in  the  awakening  and 


78 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


conversion  of  sinners,  as  well  as  the  sanctification  of  be- 
lievers. A  great  work  of  God  was  carried  on  this  year 
under  the  preaching  of  Joseph  Sawyer,  whose  faithful 
labors  on  the  Niagara  circuit  will  be  long  and  gratefully 
remembered  by  the  people  in  that  country ;  and  it  was 
during  this  revival  that  the  present  writer,  after  four  or 
five  years  of  hard  struggling  under  a  consciousness  of 
his  sinfulness,  was  brought  into  the  fold  of  Christ.  And 
here  he  wishes  to  record  his  gratitude  to  God  for  his 
distinguished  grace  in  snatching  such  a  brand  from  the 
fire,  and  to  his  people  for  their  kindness,  and  more  espe- 
cially to  that  servant  of  God,  the  Rev.  Joseph  Sawyer, 
under  whose  pastoral  oversight  he  was  brought  into  the 
Church.  Nor  should  the  labors  and  privations,  the 
prayers  and  sufferings  in  the  cause  of  Christ,  of  that 
faithful  servant  of  God,  the  Rev.  James  Coleman,  be  for- 
gotten. He  preceded  Mr.  Sawyer  in  the  Niagara  circuit, 
and  was  beloved  by  the  people  of  God  for  his  fidelity  in 
the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  for  his  deqp  devotion  to 
their  spiritual  interests,  evinced  by  his  faithful  attention 
to  the  arduous  duties  of  his  circuit.  He  had  many  seals 
to  his  ministry,  and  the  writer  of  this  remembers  with 
gratitude  the  many  prayers  which  James  Coleman  offered 
up  to  God  in  his  behalf,  while  a  youthful  stranger  in  that 
land,  and  while  seeking,  with  his  eyes  but  half  opened, 
to  find  the  way  of  peace." 

"  The  work  also  prevailed  on  the  Bay  of  Quinte  and 
Oswegatchie  circuits,  under  the  labors  of  Sylvanus  Keeler, 
Seth  Crowell,  and  others.  Like  the  new  settlements  in 
the  western  country,  Upper  Canada  was  at  that  time  but 
sparsely  populated,  so  that  in  riding  from  one  appoint- 
ment to  another  the  preachers  sometimes  had  to  pass 
through  wildernesses  from  ten  to  sixty  miles,  and 
not  unfrequently  had  either  to  ^encamp  in  the  woods  or 
sleep  in  Indian  huts.  And  sometimes,  in  visiting  the 
newly  settled  places,  they  have  carried  provender  for 
their  horses  over  night,  when  they  would  tie  them  to  a 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


79 


tree  'co  prevent  their  straying  in  the  woods ;  while  the 
preachers  themselves  had  to  preach,  eat,  and  lodge  in  the 
same  room,  the  curling  smoke  ascending  through  an 
opening  in  the  roof  of  the  log-house,  which  had  not  yet 
the  convenience  of  even  a  chimney." 

"  But  in  the  midst  of  these  labors  and  privations,  they 
were  abundantly  compensated  in  beholding  the  blessed 
effects  of  their  evangelical  efforts,  and  the  cordiality  and 
gratification  with  which  they  were  received,  more  espe- 
cially by  those  whose  hearts  God  had  touched  by  his 
Spirit.  For  though  these  people  were  in  the  wilderness, 
and  many  of  them  poor,  they  seemed  to  be  ripe  for  the 
Gospel,  and  it  was  no  less  gratifying  to  its  messengers 
than  to  its  recipients  to  behold  its  blessed  effects  upon 
the  hearts  and  lives  of  such  as  '  believed  with  a  heart 
unto  righteousness.'  While  they  who  resisted  the  truth 
often  manifested  their  enmity  by  persecuting  those  who 
proclaimed  it,  such  as  did  '  receive  it  in  the  love  of  it ' 
evinced  their  affection  and  gratitude  to  its  preachers  by 
making  them  welcome  to  their  habitations  and  entertain- 
ing them  in  the  very  best  manner  they  could.  For  the 
self-denying  labors  and  sacrifices  of  these  early  Method- 
ist preachers,  thousands  of  immortal  beings  in  Canada 
will  doubtless  praise  God  in  that  day  '  when  he  shall 
come  to  make  up  his  jewels.'". 

Such  was  Methodism — such  its  introduction  into  the 
United  States  and  its  extension  to  Canada — such  the 
men  and  scenes  of  its  early  history  in  the  latter  country, 
among  which  young  Bangs  entered  the  "itinerancy." 
We  have  seen  him  setting  out,  with  his  horse  and  sad- 
dle-bags ;  let  us  now  follow  him  in  his  route  through  the 
wilderness.  There  are  noteworthy  adventures,  trials, 
and  triumphs  awaiting  him. 


60 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MINISTERIAL  LIFE  IN  CANADA. 

Luther  includes  temptations  among  the  means  nec- 
essary for  the  training  of  a  successful  preacher.  Dr. 
Bangs  had  this  training  thoroughly  in  the  early  years  of 
his  itinerancy  on  the  Canadian  frontier.  He  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  Niagara  circuit,  with  William  Anson, 
under  the  presidency  of  Joseph  Sawyer.  It  had  been  a 
two  weeks'  circuit,  but  was  now  so  enlarged  as  to  require 
six  weeks'  travel,  with  daily  preaching,  to  supply  its  nu- 
merous appointments.  "  It  extended,"  he  says,  "  from 
the  head  of  Lake  Ontario  over  the  Grand  River,  and  com- 
prehended all  that  part  of  the  country,  known  as  Long 
Point,  which  juts  into  Lake  Erie.  On  the  banks  of  the 
Grand  River  the  Mohawk  Indians  were  settled.  They 
were  in  a  most  degraded  state,  as  the  missionary,  a 
clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England,  preached  to  them 
only  on  the  Sabbath,  and  then  spent  his  time  in  drink- 
ing ardent  spirits,  playing  cards,  and  horse-racing.  Our 
preachers  tried  to  preach  to  them  a  few  times,  but  with- 
out any  success. 

"  The  settlements  in  this  country  were  new,  the  roads 
bad,  and  the  fare  very  hard ;  but  God  was  with  us  in 
much  mercy,  awakening  and  converting  sinners,  and  this 
was  abundant  compensation  for  all  our  toils.  In  some 
places  a  strong  tide  of  prejudice  set  in  against  us,  and 
was  extremely  difficult  to  resist.  Often  while  traversing 
those  lonely  plains  and  solitary  woods  did  I  call  to  mind 
the  pleasant  hours  I  had  spent  among  my  brethren,  with 
whom  I  first  united  in  Christian  fellowship  under  better 
auspices. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D.  81 

"On  this  circuit  I  continued  until  December  I,  1801, 
when  that  part  of  it  called  Long  Point  was  detached, 
and  I  set  off  to  travel  this  alone.  There  were  but  two 
small  societies  in  all  this  new  field.  They  were  made 
up  chiefly  of  immigrants  from  New  Jersey.  In  one 
of  them  was  a  local  preacher  of  considerable  talents 
and  piety,  who  was  useful  in  keeping  the  societies  to- 
gether. As  I  was  to  labor  alone,  my  constant  prayer  to 
God  was  that  he  would  give  me  seals  to  my  ministry  as. 
evidence  that  he  had  called  me  to  the  work.  After  pass- 
ing through  several  little  settlements,  in  which  I  stopped 
and  preached,  I  came  to  the  town  of  Burford,  a  settle- 
ment on  the  Grand  River,  about  ten  miles  north  of  the 
Mohawk  Indian  village.  Here  seemed  to  be  a  frank  and 
generous  people,  and  they  received  me  with  affection 
and  respect,  and  listened  to  the  Word  with  apparent 
eagerness.  While  I  was  with  them  I  heard  of  a  settle- 
ment about  twenty-five  miles  distant,  in  the  town  of 
Oxford,  where  they  were  anxious  to  hear  the  Gospel. 
Accordingly  I  set  off  to  pay  them  a  visit.  It  being  the 
beginning  of  winter,  the  ground  partly  frozen,  the  mud 
deep,  and  the  road,  if  such  it  could  be  called,  running 
through  a  wilderness,  though  I  made  all  the  speed  I 
could,  I  traveled  only  about  fourteen  miles  that  day. 
I  put  up  at  a  small  log-hut  with  a  family  that  had  been 
educated  as  Baptists.  I  was  treated  with  hospitality, 
but  they  seemed  to  have  little  sense  of  religion.  The 
next  day  I  reached  the  settlement  and  lodged  with  Major 
Ingersoll,  to  whom  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction  from 
Captain  Mallory,  of  Burford.  I  was  received  with  cor- 
diality, and  treated  with  great  respect.  I  preached  three 
times  here,  and  under  the  two  last  sermons  many  were 
awakened  to  a  sense  of  their  lost  condition,  and  after- 
ward converted." 

G 


82 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


A  SIGNIFICANT  DREAM. 

This  beginning  of  success  lifted  a  weight  from  his 
diffident  spirit.  Before  it  occurred  he  had  given  way  to 
despair,  under  a  "  temptation  of  the  devil,"  as  he  believed. 
Seeing  no  immediate  effect  of  his  labors,  he  had  begun 
to  doubt  his  call  to  the  ministry,  and  had  resolved  to 
return  home  and  give  up  his  "license."  He  had  actually 
mounted  his  horse  and  was  retracing  his  course,  when, 
arriving  at  the  Grand  River,  he  found  that  a  "  January 
thaw"  had  so  broken  up  the  ice  as  to  render  it  impos- 
sible for  him  to  cross,  whether  by  a  boat  or  on  the  ice 
itself.  Thus  providentially  arrested,  he  returned  de- 
spondent and  confounded.  A  significant  dream  relieved 
him.  He  thought  he  was  working  with  a  pickax  on 
the  top  of  a  basaltic  rock.  His  muscular  arm  brought 
down  stroke  after  stroke  for  hours ;  but  the  rock  was 
hardly  indented.  He  said  to  himself  at  last,  "It  is  use- 
less ;  I  will  pick  no  more."  Suddenly  a  stranger  of  digni- 
fied mien  stood  by  his  side  and  spoke  to  him.  "  You  will 
pick  no  more  ?"  "  No."  "  Were  you  not  set  to  this 
task?"  "Yes."  "And  why  abandon  it  ?"  "My  work 
is  vain ;  I  make  no  impression  on  the  rock."  Solemnly 
the  stranger  replied,  "What  is  that  to  you?  Your 
duty  is  to  pick,  whether  the  rock  yields  or  not.  Your 
work  is  in  your  own  hands ;  the  result  is  not.  Work 
on  !"  He  resumed  his  task.  The  first  blow  was  given 
with  almost  superhuman  force,  and  the  rock  flew  into  a 
thousand  pieces.  He  awoke,  pursued  his  way  back  to 
Bin-ford  with  fresh  zeal  and  energy,  and  a  great  revival 
followed.  From  that  clay  he  never  had  even  a  "tempta- 
tion" to  give  up  his  commission. 

A  CONVERSION  ON  HORSEBACK. 

"  I  had  been  laboring,"  he  says,  "  without  any  appar- 
ent success  for  some  time.  I  at  length  reached  Burford, 
preached  on  Thursday  evening,  and  appointed  a  meeting 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


83 


on  Sabbath  morning  at  ten  o'clock.  At  that  time  I  ad- 
dressed the  people  on  the  parable  of  the  sower  and  his  seed, 
and  I  spoke  strong  words,  thinking  meanwhile,  This  will 
either  '  kill  or  cure.'  A  small  society  had  been  formed 
there,  but  not  one  of  its  members  professed  religion. 
They  had  only  joined  together  to  maintain  preaching  in 
the  place.  After  the  sermon  Captain  Mallory  came  to 
me  much  agitated,  and  uttered  some  despondent  words 
about  '  giving  up.'  Alas  !  thought  I,  I  have  killed  you 
all.  However,  he  invited  me  to  dine  with  him,  which 
I  did,  and  talked  with  him  as  encouragingly  as  possible. 
I  had  appointed  a  meeting  for  exhortation  and  prayer  in 
the  evening,  although  there  was  not  a  soul  among  them 
that  dared  to  pray  openly  besides  myself.  They  sang 
a  while ;  I  then  gave  them  an  exhortation  and  prayed 
with  them." 

He  observed,  after  the  prayer,  that  his  friend  Captain 
Mallory  sat  with  his  head  inclined  upon  a  table,  in  much 
agitation,  and,  accosting  him,  received  the  reply,  "  I  am 
alarmed  for  my  soul ;  I  am  afraid  that  God  will  never 
have  mercy  upon  me.  Pray,  O,  pray  for  me  !"  "  I  will," 
said  the  preacher,  "if  you  will  kneel  down."  "  Down  he 
went,  and  the  whole  congregation  with  him.  I  prayed  for 
him  by  name.  Soon  the  meeting  closed,  the  people  dis- 
persed, and  I  went  to  bed.  Early  next  morning  a  young 
man  by  the  name  of  Matthews  came  into  my  room  before 
I  was  up,  and  with  tears  in  his  eyes  began  a  surprising 
narrative.  He  said:  'After  we  left  the  meeting,  Captain 
Mallory  and  I  walked  and  talked  together  until  nearly 
midnight,  and  parted  fearing  we  should  both  be  lost 
forever.  I  went  home  and  to  bed,  but  could  not  sleep. 
Suddenly  a  voice  seemed  to  say  to  me,  "Arise  and  pray." 
I  replied,  "  I  cannot."  A  second  time  "Arise  and  pray" 
sounded  in  my  soul,  and  a  third  time.  I  arose,  knelt 
down,  and  began  to  pray.  Very  soon  it  appeared  as  if 
my  room  was  filled  with  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  and  my 
soul  was  pervaded  with  peace  and  joy  unspeakable.' 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


'  Go,'  said  I,  '  and  tell  Captain  Mallory  what  the  Lord 
has  done  for  yon ;  and  as  soon  as  I  have  breakfasted  I 
will  go  over  and  see  him.'  I  went  to  Mallory's  home, 
and  found  him  walking  the  floor  and  wringing  his  hands 
as  in  an  agony.  He  said  to  me,  '  Sir,  what  would  become 
of  me  were  I  to  die  in  this  situation  ?'  '  You  would  be 
lost,'  said  I ;  '  but  you  need  not  be.  If  you  look  to  God 
by  faith  in  Christ  he  will  save  you,  and  he  is  ready  to 
save  you  now.    Look  up.' 

"  He  and  Matthews  had  agreed  to  accompany  me  that 
day  to  a  new  appointment  about  eight  or  ten  miles  dis- 
tant, and  I  requested  him  to  get  ready  to  go.  He  replied, 
'  I  cannot ;  I  feel  so  wretched.'  '  You  must  go,'  said  I, 
'  for  I  am  a  stranger,  and  know  not  the  way.'  He  finally 
saddled  his  horse,  and  we  set  off,  he  riding  on  one  side 
of  me  and  Matthews  on  the  other.  We  had  not  gone 
more  than  forty  rods  before  he  leaned  forward  upon  his 
horse's  neck,  and  said,  '  Pray  for  me,  for  I  feel  as  if  I 
should  sink.'  '  I'll  pray  for  you,'  said  I ;  '  look  by  faith 
to  God,  and  he  will  save  you.'  It  seemed,  indeed,  as  if 
the  glory  of  God  was  all  around  me,  and  his  love  filling 
my  heart.  Not  more  than  five  minutes  afterward  the 
Lord  converted  his  soul  on  his  horse ;  he  praised  God 
aloud,  and  we  then  went  on  our  way  rejoicing. 

THE  ROCK  SPLIT. 

"  In  Oxford,  Major  Ingersoll,  to  whom  I  was  first  in- 
troduced, was  a  Universalist ;  and  he  told  me,  on  my  first 
visit,  that  he  was  an  unbeliever  in  the  doctrine  of  deprav- 
ity ;  that  he  never  had  himself  a  depraved  heart.  '  This 
assertion,'  said  I,  '  is  a  sure  sign  that  you  never  knew 
your  heart.'  On  my  second  visit,  I  found  him  sitting  in 
his  chair,  with  his  head  inclined  on  his  hands.  He  looked 
up  to  me,  and  said,  '  O,  what  a  depraved  heart  I  have !' 
'Ay!'  said  I;  'have  you  discovered  that  fact  at  last?' 
'  Yes,  indeed,'  he  replied ;  '  what  shall  I  do  to  be  saved?' 
'  Surrender  it  up  to  God  by  faith  in  Christ,  and  he  will  give 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


85 


you  a  new  heart,  and  renew  a  right  spirit  Avithin  you." 
He  did  so,  and  found  the  promise  verified.  He,  his  wife, 
who  was  a  very  sensible  and  amiable  woman,  his  two 
daughters,  together  with  the  husband  of  one  of  them, 
were  Boon  converted  and  joined  the  Church  ;  and  the 
good  work  quickly  spread  through  the  neighborhood, 
sweeping  all  before  it.*  In  this  way  the  revival  prevailed 
in  both  of  these  places,  so  that  large  and  flourishing  soci- 
eties were  established,  and  no  less  than  six  preachers 
were  raised  up ;  one  of  whom,  by  the  name  of  Reynolds, 
became  a  bishop  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of 
Canada. 

"  Thus  the  rock  was  split.  The  reformation  extended 
through  many  settlements,  particularly  Oxford,  where 
large  numbers  were  '  turned  from  darkness  to  light.' " 

Of  course  opposition  was  provoked  by  this  prosperity. 
Slanderous  reports  against  the  Methodists  were  circulated. 
In  some  places  violent  hostility  was  attempted  against 
their  meetings.  The  young  itinerant  needed  also  still 
further  training  by  temptation,  in  accordance  with 
Luther's  maxim. 

LACKINGTON'S  MEMOIKS. 

"  Behold  how  great  a  matter  a  little  fire  kindleth !" 
A  small  book,  written  beyond  the  ocean,  by  an  apostate 

*  More  than  thirty  years  later  Dr.  Bangs,  while  traveling  through  the 
state  of  New  York,  wrote  in  a  private  letter,  now  hefore  me : 

"  On  my  way  in  the  canal  boat  a  young  preacher  introduced  himself 
to  me,  and  asked  if  I  remembered  one  Hitchcock,  who  lived  in  the  town 
of  Oxford,  in  Upper  Canada,  about  thirty-four  years  ago.  I  replied, 
'Yes,  very  well.'  'Iam,'  said  he,  'his  son.'  His  father  and  mother 
were  converted  under  my  ministry  on  tne  first  circuit  I  ever  traveled, 
and  were  soon  after  married  together,  and  here  was  their  son,  a  minis- 
ter !  This  circumstance  brought  a  thousand  pleasant  recollections  to 
my  mind,  and  made  me  thank  God  and  take  courage.  The  grandfather 
of  this  youth  was  a  Universalist,  a  Major  Ingersoll,  to  whom  I  had  a 
letter  of  introduction  in  a  new  place  where  I  went  to  preach.  Himself, 
wife,  and  two  of  his  daughters,  were  soon  converted  and  joined  our 
Church ;  and  now,  here  is  one  of  the  third  generation  in  the  itinerant 
field !  I  thought  I  should  pray  and  preach  with  greater  fervor  than  ever." 


86 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


Methodist,  became  a  serious  obstruction  to  this  good 
work  in  the  far-off  regions  of  Canada,  and,  for  a  season, 
threatened  to  arrest  forever  the  career  of  this  man,  des- 
tined to  become  one  of  the  most  eminent  laborers  of 
American  Protestantism.  "  An  enemy,"  he  says,  "  in- 
troduced Lackington's  Memoirs  among  us,  and  it  passed 
from  house  to  house,  from  hand  to  hand,  counteracting 
our  labors."  Lackington,  a  poor  but  enterprising  young 
man,  had  joined  Wesley's  Society  in  London.  Wesley 
established  a  fund  for  the  aid  of  Christian  young  men  in 
the  beginning  of  their  business.  By  its  assistance  Lack- 
ington became  a  noted  bookseller ;  he  grew  opulent,  and 
rode  in  his  own  carriage.  He  claimed  the  distinction  of 
introducing  the  era  of  "cheap  publishing"  in  England, 
though  that  honor  belongs  to  Wesley  himself.  Lacking- 
ton,  however,  deserves  credit  as  a  chief  promoter  of 
cheap  and  popular  publications,  and  he  ranks  with  Dun- 
ton  and  Dodsley  among  the  famous  typographers  and 
.bibliopoles  of  English  literature.  He  was  a  diligent  but 
cursory  reader,  and,  by  deistical  books,  was  led  to  aban- 
don his  brethren,  and  to  become  an  avowed  infidel.  He 
published  his  noted  "Memoirs,"  in  which  he  attributes 
his  early  religious  impressions,  and  all  Methodist  "re- 
vivals," to  morbid  excitement  of  the  imagination.  He 
inserted  in  it  prurient  love-letters,  said  to  have  been 
written  by  Wesley  in  his  eighty-first  year.  These  letters 
he  afterward  ascertained  and  acknowledged  to  be  forg- 
eries. Their  author  himself  at  last  confessed,  over  his 
own  signature  and  in  deep  remorse,  that  they  were 
forgeries.  Lackington  repented,  rejoined  his  Methodist 
brethren,  built  them  a  chapel  on  his  country  estate,  pub- 
lished his  "  Confessions,"  and  died  in  the  faith.*  The 
first  of  these  books,  however,  was  alone  circulated  at 

*  See  History  of  the  Religious  Movement,  etc.,  called  Methodism.  Vol. 
li,  page  376,  note.  Both  books  are  still  classed  among  the  "  Curiosities 
of  Literature,"  and  are  favorites  with  bibliomaniacs.  The  best  edition 
of  "  The  Memoirs"  is  that  of  Whitaker  and  Arnot,  London,  1830.  It 
gives  in  an  appendix  a  large  part  of  the  "  Confessions." 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D.  87 

(bis  time  in  Canada,  and  the  Methodists  knew  not  the 
real  history  of  its  author.  They  were  stunned  at  first 
by  its  plausible  impeachments  ;  their  inexperienced 
preacher  was  unable  to  refute  them  as  matters  of  fact, 
and  sunk  into  despair  under  their  influence  on  his  own 
mind. 

A  SEVERE  TRIAL. 

To  him  it  was  now  "the  hour  and  power  of  dark- 
ness." His  nervous  system  had  suffered ;  his  labors 
and  excitements  had  exhausted  him ;  he  was  "  thin  and 
pallid,"  and  in  a  physical  condition  for  morbid  impres- 
sions. Nor  had  he  yet  learned  by  experience  that  ex- 
cessive excitation  on  religious,  as  on  any  other  subjects, 
must,  by  a  physiological  law,  be  attended  with  reaction. 
After  reading  the  Memoir  he  departed  on  horseback  for 
his  next  appointment.  Though  he  had  hitherto  been  able 
to  maintain  a  vivid  sense  of  religious  enjoyment,  his 
.  heart  sank  within  him  on  his  solitary  route.  Doubts,  as 
by  preternatural  agency,  crowded  around  his  mind,  and 
enveloped  him  in  utter  darkness.  He  was  tempted  to 
believe  that  he  had  erred  in  the  excitement  which  his 
labors  had  produced  among  the  people,  though  he  saw 
that  their  lives  were  reformed.  He  resolved  to  preach 
differently,  and  to  conduct  his  public  meetings  with  more 
moderation.  The  resolution,  however,  soon  struck  him 
with  dismay;  he  sank,  confounded,  deeper  and  deeper 
into  the  abyss  of  darkness,  and  began  to  fear  that  his 
own  spiritual  experience  had  been  a  delusion.  Stop- 
ping for  the  night  in  a  Christian  family,  he  quite  failed 
in  the  domestic  prayer  with  which  he  closed  the  evening. 
He  retired  to  his  bed  in  indescribable  distress.  His  sleep 
was  troubled,  he  says,  with  "awful  alarms;"  he  dreamed 
that  a  throng  of  demons  stared  at  him.  "  When  I  saw 
them  I  exclaimed,  I  will  not  fear  you,  I  know  where  to 
go  for  help,  and  began  immediately  to  pray ;  but  my 
prayers  seemed  like  vapor,  or  words  without  meaning.  I 


88 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


had  no  access  to  God.  I  ceased  praying,  and  the  phan- 
toms drew  closer  around  me.  I  began  again  to  pray, 
but  with  the  like  effect.  When  I  again  ceased,  the 
demons  rushed  at  me  with  increased  violence,  and  I 
awoke  in  intense  agony.  I  could  no  longer  rest  in  my 
bed,  but  instantly  arose  and  fell  on  my  knees,  but,  alas ! 
the  heavens  seemed  to  be  brass  over  my  head.  I  sank 
into  despair.  I  went  down  stairs.  The  woman  of  the 
house,  who  was  a  most  amiable  Christian,  asked  me 
what  was  the  matter,  for  she  perceived  my  agitation. 
Not  being  willing  to  trouble  her  mind  with  a  recital  of 
my  distress,  I  evaded  for  some  time  a  direct  answer,  but 
at  last  said,  '  I  believe  there  is  no  mercy  for  me.'  I  spent 
the  night  without  sleep,  sometimes  lying  on  the  floor,  at 
others  attempting  to  pray,  but  without  success  or  hope 
of  deliverance  from  my  anguish.  Such  torment  I  am 
sure  I  could  not  have  endured  for  many  days  ;  I  thought 
that  the  lost  could  experience  no  greater  misery.  Fre- 
quently was  I  tempted  to  open  my  mouth  in  blasphemy 
against  God,  and  to  curse  the  Saviour  of  men.  Which 
way  to  look  for  relief  I  knew  not,  for  I  thought  God  had 
deserted  me,  and  I  now  believe  that  he  gave  me  up  to 
the  bufferings  of  the  adversary  of  souls  for  my  trial, 
but  so  far  restrained  his  malice  as  not  to  permit  him  to 
destroy  me."  On  the  ensuing  Sabbath  he  had  two  ap- 
pointments to  preach.  He  went  to  them  in  deep  anguish. 
While  addressing  the  people  his  heart  was  "  filled  with 
horrors."  "  No  one  but  God,"  he  says,  "  or  such  as 
have  had  like  trials,  can  conceive  of  my  wretchedness.  1 
could  hardly  stand  up ;  I  felt  that  I  ought  not  to  preach, 
being,  as  I  feared,  lost  forever."  After  the  service  he 
appealed  to  an  old  local  preacher,  who  was  present,  for 
counsel ;  but  the  good  man  could  not  comprehend  the 
case,  and  left  him  more  desolate  than  ever.  The  thought 
occurred  to  his  own  mind,  however,  that  God  wras  leav- 
ing him  temporarily  to  his  own  weakness,  to  test  him 
and  teach  him  profitable  lessons.    This  gave  him  a  dim 


XATHAX  BANGS,  D.D. 


89 


hope  "that  he  would  sooner  or  later  deliver"  him.  He 
attempted  to  preach  again  the  next  day,  but  "  stood  be- 
fore the  people,  trembling  with  despair."  Soon  after  he 
met  an  "  old  experienced  exhorter,"  "who  gave  him  some 
hopeful  counsels,  but  could  give  him  no  effectual  relief. 
•  To  most  godless  men  this  morbid  anatomization  is  re- 
pulsive; to  many  good  men  of  healthful  temperament  it 
is  a  mystery,  or  mysticism.  Like  morbid  anatomy,  how- 
ever, it  has  its  scientific  importance,  and  I  am  bound  to 
relate  the  actual  facts  of  the  case.  There  is  much  truth 
in  "  muscular  Christianity,"  and  a  great  deal  of  divinity 
in  physiology.  The  physical  constitution  of  man  is  an 
essential  condition  of  his  probationary  life ;  and  these 
painful  experiences  have  had,  in  all  ages,  an  historical, 
if  not  an  essential  connection  with  the  moral  development 
of  the  human  soul.  "Whether  essential  or  accidental  in 
this  instance,  they  soon  passed  away;  and  this  tried 
soul  came  out  of  its  eclipse  brightly  and  serenely,  with 
vigorous,  and  even  robust  powers,  for  a  long  life  of 
healthful  and  manly  endeavors. 

DELIVER  AXCE  CUKIOUS  DREAM. 

"  On  the  next  day,"  he  says,  "  I  returned  to  the  place 
where  I  was  first  seized  with  this  horror,  and  having  a 
prayer-meeting  appointed,  I  kneeled  down  and  prayed 
for  deliverance.  God  appeared  in  gracious  power,  dis- 
pelling the  clouds  which  hung  over  my  mind,  removing 
my  doubts  and  fears,  and  shining  upon  my  soul  with  the 
brightness  of  his  reconciled  countenance.  All  within 
me  rejoiced  in  God  my  Saviour.  Never  was  the  '  cool- 
ing water  brook'  more  refreshing  to  a  thirsty  man  than 
Christ  was  now  to  my  panting  heart."  He  returned  the 
following  day  to  Burford,  where  Lackington's  Memoir, 
the  proximate  occasion  of  his  trouble,  was  first  circulated. 
He  entered  the  house  of  a  family  which  had  been  edu- 
cated as  Baptists,  but  all  of  whom  had  recently  joined 
the  Methodist  Society.    As  he  took  a  chair  at  the  hearth, 


90 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


his  host  began  to  relate  a  curious,  if  not  ludicrous  dream, 
which  he  lately  had  respecting  the  welcomed  visitor. 
He  dreamed  that  the  latter  and  a  venerated  old  friend, 
a  Baptist  clergyman,  sat  with  him  in  his  cottage  con- 
versing, when  suddenly  the  itinerant  began  to  be 
strangely  transformed,  taking  a  spiral  shape,  and  dimhv 
ishing  to  so  small  a  size  as  to  occupy  a  space  of  but 
three  or  four  inches  ;  he  would  have  smiled  had  not  the 
itinerant,  meanwhile,  appeared  to  be  in  excruciating  tor- 
ture. Turning  to  the  aged  Baptist,  he  asked  what  the 
singular  metamorphosis  could  mean.  "  God  is  trying 
him,"  was  the  reply,  "for  thus  the  Lord  tries  all  his 
special  servants."  "Is  he  then,  indeed,  one  of  God's 
special  servants  ?"  rejoined  the  host.  "  Yes,"  responded 
the  Baptist,  "  and  if  you  will  keep  your  eye  upon  him 
you  will  see  him  rise  again  to  his  full  stature."  Directly 
the  prediction  began  to  be  verified ;  the  spiral  form  rose, 
and  the  "special  servant  of  God"  stood  forth  "more 
erect,  more  fresh  and  fair  than  ever  before."  On  hear- 
ing this  dream  the  tried  evangelist  related  to  his  host, 
with  throbbing  heart,  the  terrible  ordeal  through  which 
he  had  passed ;  "  and,"  he  writes,  "  we  rejoiced  together 
for  the  consolation  of  our  God." 

Whatever  importance  may  be  given  to  these  incidents, 
his  own  reflections  upon  them,  written  more  than  half  a 
century  later,  will  be  read  with  interest.  He  says :  "  1 
have  been  thus  particular  in  relating  this  severe  conflict, 
its  causes,  progress,  and  results,  that  if  any  who  may  read 
of  it  should  be  exposed  to  similar  temptations,  they  may 
know  that  others  have  had  the  same  terrible  trial ;  that 
'there  is  no  temptation  but  what  is  common  to  man,' 
and  that  God  will  '  with  the  temptation  make  a  way  of 
escape,'  and  therefore  they  need  not  '  think  it  strange 
concerning  the  fiery  trial,  as  though  some  strange  thing 
had  happened  unto  them.'  Another  design  is  to  guard 
young  disciples  against  reading  books  which  are  written 
to  disparage  experimental  religion,  under  the  pretense 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


9L 


that  they  do  not  attack  religion  itself,  but  only  hypocrisy 
or  fanaticism.  This  was  the  case  with  Lackington ;  his 
subtle  poison  was  well  prepared  to  pervert  the  minds  of 
unwary  Christians,  though  his  book  is  full  of  proofs  of 
his  own  depraved  heart  and  purpose." 

CONSOLATION. 

He  continues:  "This  storm  having  passed  over,  I  went 
on  my  way  rejoicing,  and  the  Lord  continued  to  work 
powerfully  among  the  people.  In  riding  through  the 
woods,  I  had  a  place  where  I  used  to  stop  for  prayer, 
and  my  horse  became  so  accustomed  to  it  that  when- 
ever he  arrived  near  the  spot  he  would  turn  toward  it 
and  stop,  as  if  he  knew  it  and  the  reason  of  my  dis- 
mounting. This  was  often  a  Bethel  to  my  soul.  Oc- 
casionally my  temptations  would  return  upon  me  with 
great  violence ;  but  God  gave  me  power  in  prayer  and 
faith  to  resist  and  conquer  them,  for  which  I  praised  him 
with  a  joyful  heart.  One  cold  day,  while  riding  through 
the  woods,  I  was  deeply  disturbed  with  thoughts  of  my 
loneliness  and  destitution,  for  my  pecuniary  means  were 
about  exhausted ;  my  salary  was  next  to  nothing  ;  I  could 
see  no  means  for  my  future  wants ;  I  lived  from  house 
to  house,  from  settlement  to  settlement,  and  the  future 
seemed  dreary  and  forlorn.  Here  was  another  temptation 
by  which  my  mind  was  greatly  perplexed ;  when,  taking 
out  my  hymn  book  from  my  pocket,  my  eyes  fell  upon 
those  words, 

'"Peace,  troubled  soul,  thou  needst  not  fear; 
Thy  great  Provider  still  is  near ; 
Who  fed  thee  last,  will  feed  thee  still : 
Be  calm,  and  sink  into  his  will.' 

"As.  I  read  them,  such  a  sudden  glow  of  joy  filled  and 
overflowed  my  soul  that  I  praised  God  aloud,  and  I  rode 
on,  triumphing  in  his  goodness  to  me  and  to  all  men." 


92 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


AN  EFFECTIVE  REBUKE. 

His  deliverance  from  these  trials  inspired  him  with  con 
fidence,  and  even  with  "  humble  boldness."  He  preached 
with  increased  power.  His  word  was  like  a  trumpet 
sounding  through  the  wilderness.  He  rebuked  gainsay- 
ers  courageously,  and  they  often  cowered  before  his  ap- 
peals. A  profane  "  Universalist "  accosted  him 'rudely  ; 
"  after  conversing  with  him  some  time,  with  no  effect," 
he  writes,  "  I  rebuked  him  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
and  admonished  him  that  unless  he  ceased  his  profan- 
ity and  turned  to  God  with  repentance,  he  Avould  sink 
into  perdition  when  he  died.  This  enraged  him,  and  he 
shook  his  fist  in  my  face,  saying  it  was  too  much  for  him 
to  bear.  I  told  him  that  I  feared  him  not,  and  urged  my 
exhortation  that  he  would  repent  of  his  sins,  before  they 
might  prove  his  ruin,  saying,  '  Do  you  think  I  am  afraid 
of  you,  you  poor  child  of  the  devil  ?  You  have  no  power 
to  strike  me,  and  therefore  away  with  your  fist,  and  hum- 
ble yourself  before  God,  "  if  perhaps  the  thought  of  thy 
heart  may  be  forgiven  thee." '  The  enraged  man  was 
awe-struck ;  he  became  immediately  calm,  and  went 
away,  promising  to  amend,  and  to  pray  to  God  for  for- 
giveness." 

A  GAINSAYEE  CAUGHT. 

Like  St.  Paul,  he  occasionally  attempted  to  catch  some 
by  guile.  "  On  some  of  my  early  visits  to  Oxford,"  he 
says,  "I  preached  at  a  public  house,  where,  among  others 
who  annoyed  us,  was  a  thoughtless  young  man  by  the 
name  of  Rogers,  who  was  given  to  all  manner  of  nonsense, 
making  amusement  of  everything  serious.  I  talked  with 
him  privately,  but  without  effect.  One  day  I  was  dining 
in  company  with  a  number  of  gentlemen,  and  him  among 
the  rest.  He  kept  up,  as  usual,  his  jests  and  pleasantries 
about  religion,  when  suddenly  a  thought  struck  me  by 
which*!  could  fix  him  in  '  a  tight  place.'  Accordingly, 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


03 


after  dinner,  when  we  arose  from  the  table  to  return 
thanks,  I  said,  'Mr.  Rogers,  will  you  have  the  goodness 
to  return  thanks  to  God  for  his  bounties  to  us  here  to- 
day ?'  We  all  stood  in  silence  for  some  minutes,  when 
he,  with  confusion,  said,  '  Sir,  I  beg  to  be  excused ;'  and 
I  returned  thanks.  This  appeared  to  sober  him  some- 
what, butlsawno  material  change  in  him  for  that  season. 
AT  ii  mt  three  years  later,  while  traveling  as  a  missionary 
on  the  River  Thames,  a  messenger  came  after  me  to  visit  a 
man  who  was  very  sick.  I  mounted  my  horse,  and  rode 
several  miles  to  see  him.  As  I  approached  the  gate  be- 
fore the  house  the  invalid  came  tottering  out,  looking 
extremely  emaciated,  and  with  tears  streaming  down  his 
wan  cheeks.  He  gave  me  his  hand,  exclaiming,  '  O,  sir, 
how  glad  I  am  to  see  you !  God  only  knows  what  I  have 
Buffered  for  want  of  you  during  my  sickness.  As  soon  as 
I  heard  of  your  being  in  this  country  I  sent  for  you,  that 
I  might  ask  your  forgiveness.'  '  Why,'  replied  I,  '  what 
have  you  done  to  me,  that  you  need  ask  my  pardon]' 
'  O,'  said  he,  '  do  you  not  recollect  how  I  treated  you  at 
Oxford,  and  do  you  not  remember  asking  me  to  give 
thanks  at  the  dinner-table?  That  rebuke  went  to  my 
heart,  and  produced  an  impression  which  never  left  me 
till  God  relieved  it  by  his  saving  grace.  Can  you  forgive 
me?'  'I  have  nothing  against  you,'  I  replied  ;  '  I  knew 
you  were  a  thoughtless  sinner,  and  hoped  you  would 
sooner  or  later  see  the  error  of  your  ways.  Has  God 
forgiven  you  ?'  '  Yes,'  he  responded,  '  I  believe  he  has  ; 
and  now  that  I  have  seen  you  and  obtained  your  pardon, 
1  i  n  ii  die  "in  peace.'  "  They  kneeled  together  in  prayer 
and  praise,  and  parted  hoping  to  meet  again  in  heaven. 

FATE  OF  AN  OPPOSEE. 

A  more  serious  fate  attended  some  of  his  opposers.  The 
"Christian  Guardian"  (Canada)  relates  the  following  ex- 
ample: "Dr.  Bangs  was  the  first  Methodist  or  Christian 
minister  who  entered  the  new  settlement  of  Colchester 


94 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


with  the  message  of  salvation.  In  the  settlement  was  a 
man  named  W.,  whose  house  was  freely  opened  for  the 
purposes  of  public  wrorship,  and  there  the  doctor  opened 
his  commission.  He  preached  a  few  times,  invariably- 
leaving  an  appointment  for  a  future  time.  He  bore  his 
testimony  against  all  sin,  and  doubtless  in  particular 
against  that  of  intoxication.  Satan  could  not  yield  the 
control  of  his  adherents  without  a  struggle,  and  he  never 
lacks  agents  to  carry  out  his  unholy  designs.  W., 
though  he  had  opened  his  house  for  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel,  was  not  a  pious  man ;  but  strong  hopes  were 
entertained  that  he  might  become  such.  Several  other 
persons  were  his  companions  in  sin,  and  some  among 
them  much  more  determined  and  scheming  in  evil  than 
himself.  They  began  to  think  if  the  preacher  should  be 
permitted  to  go  on  as  he  had  begun  their  jovialty  would 
soon  come  to  an  end.  What  was  to  be  done?  Some 
plan  must  be  devised  at  once  to  prevent  it.  It  was 
determined  that  they  should  collect  together  at  the 
house  of  W.  at  the  next  appointment,  and  that  he, 
Avho  was  to  be  a  party  to  the  scheme,  should  turn 
the  itinerant  out  of  his  house  and  require  him  not 
to  return.  "VV.  readily  concurred  in  the  design.  To 
prepare  for  this  unholy  work,  they  met  together  some 
time  before  the  appointed  hour,  and  probably  brought 
themselves  up  to  the  required  point  of  courage  by  sun- 
dry potations  of  whisky.  As  it  had  been  noised  abroad 
that  this  was  to  be  the  last  visit  of  the  minister  of  God, 
a  much  more  numerous  assemblage  than  usual  had  taken 
place  in  order  to  witness  the  sport.  On  the  arrival  of 
the  preacher  he  expressed  his  gratification  to  see  so 
many  together,  and  doubtless  deemed  it  an  omen  of 
good.  But,  alas!  he  was  soon  to  be  undeceived.  He 
was  permitted  to  enter  the  house,  and  make  various 
preparations  for  the  worship  he  anticipated  he  was 
about  to  lead.  At  this  juncture  "W.  arose,  and  taking  him 
by  the  shoulders,  marched  him  to  the  door,  and  then 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


95 


stated  that  he  was  not  to  preach  in  his  house  again,  and 
that  it  was  the  determination  of  the  neighborhood  that 
he  should  visit  them  no  more.  The  announcement  of 
W.  was  received  with  universal  approbation  and  a  shout 
of  joy.  And  no  doubt  fiends  in  hell  raised  a  shout  of 
applause.  The  devil  had  accomplished  Ins  end  in  using 
TV.  in  ejecting  from  the  neighborhood  the  Gospel  messen- 
ger, and  rejecting  therewith  the  offer  of  salvation. 

"  This,  however,  was  but  the  beginning.  In  the  pres- 
ence of  all  the  people,  the  rejected  minister  of  Christ, 
in  the  most  solemn  manner,  followed  the  directions 
of  the  Saviour.  Taking  a  handkerchief  from  his  pocket, 
and  raising  first  one  foot  and  then  the  other,  he  wiped  the 
dust  from  the  soles  of  his  shoes,  which  they  had  collected 
on  the  ground  of  TV.,  declaring  at  the  same  time  he  did 
it  as  a  testimony  against  them  for  refusing  the  message 
of  salvation.  This  announcement  was  received  with  a 
shout  of  derision,  and  the  itinerant  took  his  departure 
from  the  dwelling,  which  was  never  again  to  be  entered 
by  the  messenger  of  saving  mercy.  As  the  settlement 
was  then  distant  from  any  other,  and  could  only  be  reached 
by  great  effort,  the  door  also  being  closed  against  him, 
it  came  not  in  the  order  of  Providence  for  Mr.  Bangs 
again  to  visit  that  community. 

"From  the  time  that  TV.  had  been  guilty  of  this 
outrage,  prosperity  and  comfort  seemed  to  forsake  his 
habitation.  One  untoward  event  after  another  occurred 
until  he  was  a  complete  wreck,  morally,  mentally,  socially, 
physically,  as  well  as  in  his  secular  affairs.  The  demon 
of  discontent  was  already  in  his  abode.  Another  demon, 
as  a  seducer,  induced  his  wife  to  forsake  her  family  and 
the  home  of  her  husband,  and  wander  into  some  part  of 
the  United  States,  from  whence  she  never  returned.  One 
misfortune  followed  another  until,  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years,  all  his  property  was  squandered,  and  he,  wrecked 
by  disease  and  suffering,  was  dependent  on  charity  for 
his  daily  support.    This  was  little  compared  with  the 


0(3 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


mental  agony  he  was  subjected  to  in  consequence  of  the 
gnawings  of  a  guilty  conscience  for  having  rejected  the 
Gospel  messenger. 

"Some  years  afterward,  W.,  a  decrepit  and  misera- 
ble old  man,  was  laid  on  a  sick-bed,  which  eventually 
proved  to  be  the  bed  of  death.  Suffering  and  trial  had 
been  his  lot,  and  now  he  who  once  had  been  prosperous,  and 
bid  fair  for  a  happy  and  useful  life,  was  dependent  on  the 
bounty  of  others  for  a  morsel  of  bread  and  a  grave.  The 
Rev.  Horace  Dean,  then  being  stationed  in  that  part  of  the 
province,  was  called  upon  to  give  him  spiritual  counsel,  and 
lead  his  heart  in  prayer  to  that  God  whose  servant  he 
had  turned  from  his  door.  But  both  mental  and  moral 
vision  seemed  to  be  beclouded.  No  impression  could 
be  produced  on  his  heart,  and  he  died  in  a  state  of 
stolid  indifference.  The  occasion  of  his  death  was  im- 
proved, as  a  warning  to  others,  by  the  minister  who 
gave  me  the  narrative. 

"  The  late  Rev.  William  Case  succeeded  Dr.  Bangs  in 
that  extensive  field  of  labor,  and  was  the  honored  instru- 
ment of  again  introducing  Methodism  into  the  same 
community,  and  forming  the  first  society,  where  many 
became  holy,  happy,  and  useful  Christians." 

To  his  many  other  trials  was  added,  about  the  conclu- 
sion of  his  service  on  this  circuit,  a  severe  attack  of 
intermittent  fever ;  he  was  confined  to  his  bed  for  weeks, 
and  about  two  months  elapsed  before  he  could  resume 
his  travels.  At  last,  though  extremely  feeble,  and  reduced 
almost  to  a  skeleton,  he  mounted  his  horse  and  departed 
for  another  circuit.  He  had  been  thoroughly  tested;  he 
had  triumphed;  the  rock  seen  in  his  dream  had  been 
shivered;  further  trials  awaited  him,  but  his  course 
henceforth  was  irreversibly  determined. 


NATHAN  BANGS.  D.D. 


97 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

ANSWERS    TO  PRAYER. 

"  It  was,"  he  writes,  "  with  no  little  reluctance  that  I 
parted  from  my  friends  on  this  circuit,  particularly  from 
those  in  Burford,  with  whom  I  had  formed  a  close  inti- 
macy. They  were  the  first-fruits  of  my  ministry,  and 
there  had  grown  up  between  us  a  relation  of  indescriba- 
ble alfection,  so  that  I  could  say  of  them  as  St.  Paul  said 
of  the  Philippians,  '  Ye  are  my  crown  of  rejoicing.' 
They  had  treated  me  with  the  tenderest  kindness,  had 
attended  me  in  my  sickness,  had  sympathized  with  me 
in  all  my  afflictions,  and  had  rejoiced  with  me  in  my 
joys  in  the  Lord.  But  the  time  was  come  for  my  depart- 
ure according  to  the  rules  of  our  Church  Discipline.  I 
went  down  among  my  friends  on  the  Niagara  circuit  for 
a  season.  There  I  was  received  with  much  cordiality. 
My  fever  returning  occasionally,  I  was  not  able  to  labor 
much.  It  unnerved  my  mind  at  times.  On  Sef>tem- 
ber  '2,  1802,  rising  from  my  bed,  where  I  had  been 
shaking  with  an  ague,  I  joined  with  a  few  disciples  in 
prayer,  when  the  Lord  blessed  me  in  an  extraordinary 
manner,  dispelling  all  my  depression  and  fears,  and  caus- 
ing me  to  rejoice  with  exceeding  joy.  It  broke  the  spell 
of  my  disease ;  from  this  day  I  gradually  recovered  my 
health,  and  prayed  and  preached  with  my  usual  power 
and  success. 

""While  looking  for  fruits  of  my  labors  and  supplica- 
tions, I  was  called  to  visit  a  young  woman  who  was  sup- 
posed to  be  dying.  She  was  one  of  seven  children,  the 
parents  of  whom  were  remarkable  for  their  deep  piety, 
the  mother  being  one  of  the  most  holy  women  I  have 


V6 


LIFE  AXD  TIMES  OF 


ever  known.  All  the  children,  except  the  youngest,  were 
professors  of  religion;  but  the  one  who  was  sick  had 
declined  much  in  piety.  "When  I  entered  the  room  I 
found  her  on  her  bed  extremely  ill.  She  appeared  quite 
stupid,  and  to  any  question  which  I  put  to  her,  her 
answer  was,  'I  do  not  know.'  Several  pious  persons 
Avere  present.  After  conversing  and  meditating  some 
time,  we  all  knelt  down.  When  I  had  prayed,  I  called 
on  one  and  then  another  to  pray.  Her  godly  mother 
was  kneeling  at  her  bedside,  and  I  was  so  situated  that 
whenever  I  opened  my  eyes  I  could  observe  her  intense 
solicitude  for  her  child.  After  praying  for  some  time 
the  patient  began  strangely  to  revive;  soon  the  tears 
trickled  down  her  pallid  cheeks.  Her  mother  then  sud- 
denly exclaimed,  '  Glory  to  God  !'  clasped  her  hands,  and 
fell  on  the  floor,  overpowered  by  her  emotions.  Very 
soon  the  daughter  began  to  praise  the  Lord  aloud,  and 
it  seemed  to  us  all  that  the  glory  of  God  shone  around 
us.  As  soon  as  the  ecstasy  of  the  invalid  subsided,  she 
arose  from  the  bed,  walked  the  room,  and  was  well  from 
that  hour.  Her  restoration  seemed  given  in  answer  to 
prayer,  and  was  almost  instantaneous.  I  care  not  by 
what  name  it  may  be  called,  of  its  reality  I  can  have  no 
doubt,  for  I  was  an  eye  and  ear-witness  of  the  facts,  as 
were  many  others,  and  I  have  here  recorded  them  to  the 
glory  of  God's  grace  in  Christ  Jesus. 

ITINERANT  ADVENTURES. 

"  On  the  7th  of  October  I  set  off,  in  company  with 
Joseph  Jewell,  the  presiding  elder,  for  the  Bay  of  Quinte 
circuit.  We  had  a  terrible  road  to  travel  from  the  head 
of  Lake  Ontario  to  Little  York,  as  it  was  then  called, 
now  Toronto,  over  hills  and  creeks,  through  mud  and 
water,  but  at  last  arrived  in  safety.  We  had  an  appoint- 
ment for  preaching  on  Yonge-street  in  the  evening  of 
the  next  day.  After  the  sermon  by  Mr.  Jewell,  I  gave 
an  exhortation.    The  people  requested  that  I  might  be 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


09 


left  for  a  few  days  to  preach  in  the  neighborhood.  I 
accordingly  staid  behind,  with  the  understanding  that 
I  should  go  on  in  a  short  time.  At  the  time  appointed 
I  Bel  off,  but  was  taken  sick  with  influenza  on  the  way. 
Being  tenderly  nursed  in  the  house  where  I  stopped,  I 
soon  recovered,  mounted  my  horse,  and  rode  some  miles, 
when  my  faithful  animal  was  taken  sick  and  the  next  day 
died.  Here,  then,  I  was  alone  in  a  strange  place,  without 
money,  without  'a  horse,  and,  as  far  as  I  knew,  without 
friends.  I  trusted  in  God  alone,  and  he  provided  for  me. 
In  about  half  an  hour,  during  which  I  hardly  knew  which 
way  to  turn,  a  gentleman  came  along  and  offered  to  lend 
me  a  horse  on  condition  that  I  would  defer  my  journey 
to  the  Bay  of  Quinte,  and  agree  to  remain  in  those  parts 
preaching  for  some  time.  I  thankfully  accepted  his  offer, 
mounted  the  horse,  and  went  on  my  way  rejoicing  up  to 
Little  York.  The  settlements  in  this  part  of  the  country 
were  all  new,  the  roads  extremely  bad,  and  the  people 
generally  poor  and  demoralized.  Our  occasional  preach- 
ers were  exposed  to  many  privations  and  often  to  much 
Suffering  from  poor  fare  and  violent  opposition.  Seth 
Crowell,  a  zealous  and  godly  itinerant,  had  traveled  along 
the  lake  shore  before  me,  and  had  been  instrumental  in 
the  awakening  and  conversion  of  many  of  the  settlers,  so 
that  some  small  societies  had  been  formed ;  but  they  were 
far  apart,  and  I  found  them  in  a  dwindled  condition. 
On  Yonge-street,  which  was  a  settlement  extending 
westward  from  Little  York  in  a  direct  line  for  about 
thirty  miles,  there  were  no  societies,  but  all  the  field 
was  new  and  uncultivated,  with  the  exception  of  some 
Quaker  neighborhoods.  Among  these  '  Friends '  I  formed 
some  pleasant  acquaintances."  lie  had  met  with  some 
of  them  in  the  scenes  of  his  earlier  ministerial  labors. 
They  liked  his  eai'nest  spirit  and  his  doctrine,  though 
they  disapproved  the  practical  system  of  Methodism, 
especially  its  organized  ministry.  Sometimes,  traveling 
at  a  distance  from  their  settlement,  they  would  join  his 


100 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


log-cabin  congregations,  and  after  the  sermon  rise  and 
bear  their  favorable  "  testimonies."  One  of  them,  hear- 
ing him  on  his  first  circuit,  was  so  inspired  and  delighted 
by  his  fervent  discourse  as  to  ask  "liberty  to  testify"  to 
it,  and  then  proceeded  to  say  that,  while  listening,  "It  was 
given  him  to  rise  to  the  blessed  vision  of  the  Revelator — 
he  saw  the  angel,  bearing  the  everlasting  Gospel,  flying 
through  the  midst  of  heaven.  This  is  the  everlasting 
Gospel  which  they  had  heard  that  day,"  and  the  good 
Quaker  went  on  to  support  his  Methodist  brother  with 
a  home-directed  exhortation  to  the  wondering  people. 
The  two  speakers  had  an  agreeable  interview  after  the 
service,  and  comforted  each  other  on  their  way  heaven- 
ward. The  itinerant  always  afterward  liked  the  Friends, 
though  he  deemed  some  of  their  peculiarities  unscrip- 
tural,  and  frankly  told  them  so.  He  resolved  now  to 
visit  their  settlements  along  the  extended  "Yonge- 
street"  route. 

He  set  out  on  a  winter's  day  with  the  determination 
to  call  at  as  many  houses  as  possible  on  the  way  and 
give  a  "word  of  exhortation"  to  each.  At  every  door 
he  said :  "  I  have  come  to  talk  with  you  about  religion, 
and  to  pray  with  you.  If  you  are  willing  to  receive  me 
for  this  purpose  I  will  stop;  if  not,  I  will  go  on."  "Only 
one  repulsed  me  through  the  entire  day ;  all  others  heard 
my  exhortations,  and  permitted  me  to  pray  with  them. 
I  entered  one  house  where  I  found  the  family  at  din- 
ner. I  talked  with  them  for  a  while  and  then  pro- 
posed prayer.  When  I  arose  from  my  knees  the  man 
was  in  a  profuse  perspiration,  and,  looking  me  in  the 
face  with  much  emotion,  said,  'Sir,  I  believe  you  pray  in 
the  Spirit.'  I  gave  him  a  word  of  advice  and  left  him, 
a  thoughtful,  perhaps  an  awakened  man."  Some,  how- 
ever, held  eager  disputes  with  him  on  theological  ques- 
tions, and  most  were  more  inclined  to  show  their  rustic 
skill  in  polemics  than  to  join  in  his  earnest  devotions ; 
but  all  treated  him  kindly,  except  a  stout  High  Church- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


101 


man,  a  fude  emigrant,  who  avowed  himself  to  "be  of  the 
High  Church  of  England,  and  a  believer  in  her  Ai'ticles 
and  prayer  book."  lie  became  so  enraged  at  the  preach- 
er's citation  of  the  Church  Catechism  on  the  sacramental 
sign  of  "  inward  spiritual  grace — a  new  birth  unto  right- 
eousness"— that  he  vociferously  threatened  to  "pitch 
him,  neck  and  heels,"  out  of  the  cabin,  and  would  proba- 
bly have  done  so  had  it  not  been  for  the  interference  of 
his  daughter. 

IMPRESSIONS. 

He  learned  at  least  one  valuable  lesson  on  this  journey. 
He  had  given  too  much  importance  to  "impressions." 
"At  a  certain  time,"  says  his  friend  and  successor  in 
Canada,  Rev.  Dr.  Fitch  Reed,  "when  the  weather  was 
very  cold  and  the  newly-fallen  snow  quite  deep,  his  mind 
became  more  than  usually  impressed  with  the  value  of 
souls,  and  his  heart  burned  with  desire  to  do  all  he  could 
to  save  them.  In  the  midst  of  his  reflections  he  came 
opposite  a  dwelling  that  stood  quite  a  distance  from 
the  road  in  the  field.  Instantly  he  was  impressed  to  go 
to  the  house  and  talk  and  pray  with  its  family.  He 
could  see  no  path  through  the  deep  snow,  and  he  felt 
reluctant  to  wade  that  distance,  expose  himself  to  the 
cold,  and  perhaps  after  all  accomplish  no  good.  lie* 
resolved  not  to  go.  No  sooner  had  he  passed  the  house 
than  the  impression  became  doubly  strong,  and  he  was 
constrained  to  turn  back.  He  fastened  his  horse  to  the 
fence,  waded  through  the  snow  to  the  house,  and  not  a 
soul  was  there !  From  that  time  he  resolved  never  to 
confide  in  mere  impressions." 

FRONTIER  LIFE — ANECDOTE. 

He  delayed  much  on  this  route,  preaching  often  and 
with  success.  "  There  was  quite  an  awakening  among 
the  people,"  he  writes,  "and  many  sought  redemption 
in  the  blood  of  Christ,  so  that  several  societies  were 


102 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


formed.  But  there  was  a  marked  line  of  distinction  be- 
tween the  righteous  and  the  wicked,  there  being  but 
very  few  who  were  indifferent  or  outwardly  moral  to 
interpose  between  them.  All  showed  openly  what  they 
were  by  their  words  and  actions,  and  either  accepted 
religion  heartily  or  opposed  it  violently ;  the  great  ma- 
jority, though  most  of  them  would  come  to  hear  me 
preach,  were  determined  opposers."  Such  is  the  char- 
acter of  frontier  communities.  Moral  restraints  are 
feeble  among  them ;  conventional  restraints  are  few  ;  the 
freedom  of  their  simple  wilderness-life  characterizes  all 
their  habits ;  they  have  their  own  code  of  decorum,  and 
sometimes  of  law  itself.  They  are  frank,  hospitable, 
but  violent  in  prejudice  and  passion;  fond  of  disputation, 
of  excitement,  and  of  hearty,  if  not  reckless  amusements. 
The  primitive  Methodist  preachers  knew  well  how  to 
accommodate  themselves  to  the  habits,  as  also  to  the 
fare  of  such  a  people,  and  hence  their  extraordinary  suc- 
cess along  the  whole  American  frontier.  Their  simple 
and  familiar  methods  of  worship  in  cabins  and  barns,  or 
under  trees,  suited  the  rude  settlers.  Their  meetings 
were  without  the  stiff  order  and  ceremonious  formality 
of  older  communities.  They  were  often  scenes  of  free 
debate,  of  interpellations  and  interlocutions  ;  a  hearer  at 
.the  door-post  or  the  window  responding  to,  or  question- 
ing, or  defying  the  preacher,  who  "  held  forth  "  from  a 
chair,  a  bench,  or  a  barrel,  at  the  other  end  of  the  build- 
ing. This  popular  freedom  was  not  without  its  advant- 
ages ;  it  authorized  equal  freedom  on  the  part  of  the 
preacher ;  it  allowed  great  plainness  of  speech  and  direct- 
ness of  appeal.  The  early  memoranda  before  me  afford 
not  a  few  glimpses  of  this  primitive  life  of  the  frontier — 
crowded  congregations  in  log-huts  or  barns — some  of 
the  hearers  seated,  some  standing,  some  filling  the  un- 
glazed  casements,  some  thronging  the  overhanging  trees — 
startling  interjections  thrown  into  the  sermon  by  eccen- 
tric listeners — violent  polemics  between  the  preacher  and 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


103 


headstrong  scctarists,  the  whole  assembly  sometimes  in- 
volved in  the  earnest  debate,  some  for,  some  against  him, 
and  ending  in  general  confusion.  A  lively  Methodist 
hymn  was  usually  the  best  means  of  restoring  order  in 
such  cases.  Our  itinerant  was  never  confounded  by  these 
interruptions.  He  had  a  natural  tact  and  a  certain 
authoritative  presence,  an  air  of  command,  qualified  by  a 
concessive  temper,  which  seldom  failed  to  control  the 
roughest  spirits.  He  was  often  characteristic,  if  not 
directly  personal,  in  his  preaching,  sometimes  with  quite 
naive,  if  not  ludicrous  results.  On  one  occasion  he  was 
contrasting  the  characters  of  the  righteous  and  the 
wicked,  "when  an  apparently  well-meaning  man,"  he 
writes,  "  sitting  before  me,  said  aloud,  '  How  do  you 
know  that,  sir?'  I  made  him  no  reply,  but  proceeded 
with  the  delineation  of  the  godless  character,  and  then 
remarked,  'It  matters  not  what  your  condition  or  name 
is,  if  you  do  thus  wickedly  you  will  be  damned !'  He 
arose,  bowed  very  respectfully,  and  said,  'My  name  is 
Benaiah  Brown,  at  your  service,'  and  sat  down  again. 
Some  of  my  friends,  thinking  he  wished  to  make  dis- 
turbance, Avent  toward  him  to  put  him  out  of  the  house. 
I  requested  them  to  let  him  alone,  as  he  had  not  dis- 
turbed me  at  all,  but  seemed  full  of  respect.  After  the 
meeting  he  remained,  and,  in  conversation  with  him,  I 
asked  him  how  he  came  to  address  me  in  the  manner  he 
did.  He  replied,  'You  described  my  character  so  ac- 
curately that  I  thought  you  knew  nil  about  me,  and  that 
I  might  as  well  give  you  my  name  and  have  done  with 
it.'  I  gave  him  some  good  advice,  and  we  parted  on  the 
best  terms.  He  was  a  stranger  in  the  place ;  the  Word 
.had  evidently  taken  hold  upon  his  heart,  and  I  may  hope 
its  effects  were  lasting." 

A  FRONTIER  FIDDLTCll. 

A  more  direct  case  occurred  in  a  settlement  about  ten 
miles  from  Toronto.    "There  was,"  he  says,  "a  great 


104 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


awakening  among  the  people,  but  an  inveterate  fiddler 
seemed  set  on  by  the  great  adversary  to  contest  the 
victory  with  me,  inch  by  inch.  He  had  earned  consider- 
able money  as  the  musician  of  the  winter-night  dancing 
parties  of  the  settlers ;  but  he  was  now  willing  to  fiddle 
for  nothing,  if  they  would  meet  to  dance  and  frolic 
rather  than  to  pray.  He  contrived  every  possible  method 
to  keep  the  young  people  from  our  meetings.  For  some 
time  he  carried  his  purpose  with  a  high  hand,  and  the 
war  was  at  last  fully  opened  between  us.  One  Sabbath 
morning,  however,  I  fairly  caught  him.  I  was  preaching 
on  Gal.  v,  19-21,  and  when  I  came  to  the  word  '  revel- 
ings,'  I  applied  it  to  his  tactics,  and  said,  '  I  do  not  know 
that  the  devil's  musician  is  here  to-day ;  I  do  not  see 
him  anywhere.'  But  he  was  sitting  in  a  corner  out 
of  my  sight,  and  he  now  put  out  his  head  and  cried 
out,  '  Here  I  am,  ha !  ha !  ha !'  making  the  place  ring 
with  his  laughter.  'Ay,'  said  I,  'you  are  there,  are 
you !'  and,  turning  toward  him,  looked  him  full  in  the 
face,  and  addressed  myself  to  him  in  language  of  rebuke 
and  warniug.  I  finally  told  him  that  if  he  did  not  cease  al- 
luring the  young  people  into  sinful  amusements  I  would 
pray  God  either  to  convert  him  or  take  him  out  of  the 
way,  and  I  had  no  doubt  that  God  would  answer  my 
prayer.  The  power  of  God  evidently  fell  upon  the  as 
sembly  ;  a  divine  awe  seemed  to  overpower  them.  The 
guilty  man  began  to  tremble  all  over  like  a  leaf  and 
turned  deathly  pale.  He  finally  got  up  and  rushed  out 
of  the  house.  He  went  home,  burned  his  fiddle,  and  we 
were  thenceforth  rid  of  his  interference  with  our  meet- 
ings and  his  opposition  in  the  community." 

A  PROVIDENTIAL  ESCAPE. 

He  sometimes  ^iad  ruder  encounters.  "  I  had,"  he 
says,  "  an  appointment  to  preach  in  a  ■small  cabin,  the 
family  of  which  was  too  poor  to  entertain  me  conven- 
iently over  night.    I  therefore  intended  to  return,  as  had 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


105 


been  my  custom,  .about  six  miles,  after  the  sermon,  for 
lodgings.  I  was  overtaken  on  my  way  to  the  place  by 
a  sleigh,  with  three  men  in  it.  I  turned  my  horse  out  of 
the  road  and  let  them  pass  me,  but  they  no  sooner  did 
BO  than  they  stopped  and  began  vociferating  blasphemies 
and  blackguard  language  at  me,  and  if  I  attempted  to 
pass  them  they  would  drive  on,  obstruct  the  way,  and 
thus  prevent  my  going  forward.  In  this  manner  they 
continued  to  annoy  me  about  half  an  hour,  keeping  up 
an  unceasing  stream  of  Billingsgate.  I  made  them  no 
reply.  They  at  length  drove  on,  and  left  me  to  pursue . 
my  way  in  peace.  In  the  evening,  as  I  rose  up  to  preach, 
these  three  men  stood  looking  in  at  the  door,  and  as  I 
was  standing  at  the  door-post  they  closed  the  entrance, 
and  were  close  to  my  right  hand.  I  requested  them  to 
take  seats;  two  of  them  did  so,  but  the  othftkept  his 
place.  I  gave  out  for  my  text  Dan.  v,  21:  'Thou  art 
weighed  in  the  balances  and  art  found  wanting.'  In 
the  introduction  to  the  discourse  I  made  some  remarks 
about  Belshazzar's  impious  feast ;  I  enlarged  on  the 
prevalent  drinking  habits  of  the  settlers,  and  observed 
that  there  were  people  who  were  not  contented  to  drink 
in  taverns  and  in  their  own  houses,  but  carried  bottles 
of  rum  in  their  pockets.  The  man  who  still  stood  at  my 
right  hand  had  a  bottle  in  his  pocket ;  he  drew  it  forth, 
shook  it  in  my  face  with  an  oath,  exclaiming,  '  You  are 
driving  that  at  me,'  and  kept  up  a  continual  threat.  The 
owner  of  the  house,  who  was  a  warm  friend  of  mine,  in- 
stantly arose,  with  two  or  three  others,  all  trembling 
with  indignation,  and  came  toward  the  offender  to  seize 
him  and  thrust  him  away.  Perceiving  their  design,  I 
feared  there  would  be  bloodshed,  and  requested  them  to 
desist  and  take  their  seats,  for  I  was  not  afraid  of  my 
opposer.  They  sat  down,  but  this  only  seemed  to  enrage 
the  man  still  more.  He  kept  on  swearing,  with  his 
clenched  fist  directed  at  me ;  but  I  continued  my  dis- 
course unmoved  by  his  threats,  until  I  finally  called  on 


106 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


the  God  of  Daniel,  who  delivered  him  from  the  lions, 
to  deliver  me  from  this  lion-like  sinner,  when  suddenly 
he  escaped  out  of  the  door  and  fled ;  his  two  companions 
followed  him,  and  Ave  ended  the  meeting  in  peace.  My 
friends,  fearing  I  might  meet  with  some  peril  should  I 
attempt  to  return  that  night,  as  it  was  supposed  that 
these  ruffians  knew  that  I  intended  to  do  so,  persuaded 
me  to  stay  all  night.  It  was  well  I  did  so,  for  these  men 
lay  in  ambush  for  me,  and  seeing  a  traveler  approach  on 
horseback,  one  of  them  said  with  an  oath  '  There  he  is, 
let's  have  him,'  and  off  they  went  pursuing  him,  blas- 
pheming and  cursing  him  as  the  Methodist  preacher. 
They  caught  him,  and  were  preparing  to  wreak  their 
vengeance  upon  him,  but  soon  discovered  that  they  had 
committed  an  egregious  and  dangerous  blunder.  The 
assailed  ^aveler,  seeing  his  peril,  turned  upon  them 
boldly,  and  showing  a  hearty  disposition  to  fight,  not- 
withstanding the  odds  against  him,  and  using  a  style  of 
language  surprisingly  like  their  own,  they  became  con- 
vinced that  he  could  be  no  Methodist  preacher,  and  took 
to  their  heels.*  Thus  God  saved  me  from  these  raven- 
ing wolves.  I  blessed  his  name,  and  learned  to  trust 
more  than  ever  his  protecting  providence.  No  little 
good  resulted  from  this  incident ;  it  raised  me  up  many 
friends ;  opposers  even  became  ashamed  of  the  malicious 
rowdies,  and  were  ready  now  to  defend  me.  In  the 
midst  of  all  these  strange  scenes  I  enjoyed  great  peace 
with  God,  I  had  constant  access  to  him  in  prayer,  and 
went  on  my  route  rejoicing  that  I  was  counted  worthy 
to  suffer  for  his  name's  sake.  I  passed  on  from  settle- 
ment to  settlement,  preaching  and  praying  with  the  peo- 
ple ;  the  Divine  Spirit  was  poured  out  upon  them,  and 
many  were  converted.  Some  of  the  neighborhoods  were 
*  This  gentleman  was  a  Mr.  Hall,  who  himself  related  the  incident  to 
Rev.  Dr.  Fitch  Reed.  (See  Reminiscences  of  Itinerant  Life,  No.  2,  in 
Northern  Christian  Advocate,  January  1,  1863.)  Dr.  Reed's  narrative 
differs,  in  slight  particulars,  from  Dr.  Bangs's.  I  follow  the  manuscript 
of  the  latter. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


107 


extremely  poor ;  in  some  the  people  had  not  yet  a  single 
stable  for  the  accommodation  of  my  horse.  I  carried 
with  me  oats  for  him,  and,  tying  him  to  a  tree,  left  him 
to  eat  at  night,  and  ate  and  slept  myself  in  the  same  room 
in  which  I  preached.  This  I  had  to  do  frequently ;  but 
God  was  with  me,  blessing  my  own  soul  and  the  people." 

AMOXG  THE  QUAKERS. 

He  at  last  found  himself  among  the  Quakers,  and  was 
hospitably  received  by  most  of  them,  though  some  looked 
askance  at  him ;  their  chief  objection  to  him  being  the 
alleged  fact  that,  though  evidently  a  good,  self-sacri- 
ficing man,  yet,  as  a  Methodist  preacher,  he  was  a 
"hireling."  At  best  the  charge  could  be  said  to  be 
but  theoretically  true  of  the  Methodist  preachers  of 
that  early  day.  He  received  only  about  fifty  dollars 
in  the  first  year  of  his  ministry ;  in  the  present  year 
only  about  twelve;  and  he  was  now  actually  using  a 
borrowed  horse,  not  having  funds  enough  to  buy  one. 
The  "  Discipline "  of  the  Church  allowed  but  eighty 
dollars  a  year  to  an  unmarried  itinerant,  and  but  double 
that  amount  to  a  married  one;  and  he  remarks  that 
"even  these  pittances  were  seldom  paid."  The  Meth- 
odist ministry  have  never,  either  in  that  day  or  in  ours, 
made  any  contract  for  salaries,  and  have  no  legal  claim 
for  any  deficiency  in  their  "  allowance."  But  these 
"  Friends  "  revolted  from  the  slightest  semblance  of  pe- 
cuniary remuneration  for  preaching.  They  entertained 
their  visitor  cordially,  however,  and  he  read  with  much 
interest  their  standard  books,  the  Avritings  of  Fox,  Penn, 
Barclay,  and  others.  They  had  a  few  humble  but  neat 
places  of  worship  in  this  new  country.  He  took  his  seat 
among  them,  and  for  the  first  time  witnessed  their  simple 
devotions.  A  woman  rose  and  said,  "  Friend,  if  thee  has 
anything  to  say,  we  are  willing  to  hear  thee."  He  wished 
to  learn  more  fully  their  public  customs,  and  replied,  "  I 
have  nothing  at  present  to  say."   At  two  other  times 


108 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


single  texts  of  Scripture  were  uttered.  At  last,  according 
to  their  universal  custom,  they  shook  hands  as  the  con- 
clusion of  the  meeting,  when  he  rose,  and  saying  "Where 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty,"  asked  permis- 
sion to  address  them.  They  gladly  resumed  their  seats, 
and  listened  to  a  warm  exhortation  on  "  the  Witness  of 
the  Spirit,"  a  doctrine  which  seemed  peculiarly  to  please 
them.  "  Take  thy  horse  and  ride  to  my  house  ;  thee 
shall  be  welcome,"  said  a  good  man  to  him  when  he 
closed.  As  it  was  practically  the  motto  of  Methodist 
preachers  to  "  be  instant,  in  season  and  out  of  season," 
and  to  become  "  all  things  to  all  men,  that  they  might  by 
all  means  save  some,"  he  continued  to  visit  them  in  their 
various  settlements,  enjoying  their  hospitality,  conversing 
with  and  exhorting  them  from  house  to  house,  not,  how- 
ever, without  encountering  some  unyielding  prejudices, 
and  some  persistent  though  good-tempered  controversies. 
He  felt  deeply  interested  for  them,  and  perceiving  that 
they  were  losing  their  spiritual  life  in  this  distant  region, 
he  endeavored  to  recall  them  to  the  best  teachings  of 
their  own  founders,  as  well  as  to  the  better  teachings  of 
Holy  Scripture. 

His  visits  produced  no  small  excitement  in  their  settle- 
ments. He  met  them  again  in  their  house  of  worship, 
and  it  was  now  crowded,  for  they  expected  his  pres- 
ence. The  assembly  sat  some  time  in  silence.  A  woman 
arose,  and,  quoting  a  single  text,  sat  down.  After  a 
few  moments  of  silence  the  itinerant  stood  up  among 
them,  and  addressed  them  on  the  words,  "Thus  saith 
the  Lord,  Stand  ye  in  the  ways,  and  see,  and  ask  for 
the  old  paths,  where  is  the  good  way,  and  wa'k  there- 
in, and  ye  shall  find  rest  for  your  souls."  The  text,  he 
says,  seemed  suddenly  suggested  to  his  mind,  as  by  a 
divine  inspiration.  He  spoke  from  the  "fullness  of  his 
heart,"  reminding  them  that,  according  to  the  journals  of 
their  early  preachers,  they  very  seldom  then  had  "silent 
meetings,"  but  "  found  something  to  say  for  God  ;"  that 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


109 


here,  in  the  ends  of  the  world,  hardly  .anything  like  a 
testimony  for  the  truth  was  given  in  their  assemblies; 
that  the  population  around  them  was  perishing;  that 
their  fathers  taught  the  duty  of  family  worship,  and 
usually  spent  half  an  hour  daily  in  it,  but  that  it  seemed 
generally  neglected  here,  where  it  was  most  needed.  He 
concluded  by  "  exhorting  them  to  walk  in  the  good  old 
paths  of  the  Friends  ;  then  should  they  find  rest  to  their 
souls."  The  word  took  effect ;  they  "  wept  all  over  the 
house."  Kneeling  down,  he  prayed  for  them  with  Meth- 
odistic  fervor,  and  was  afterward  taken  to  one  of  their 
homes,  where  many  of  them  came  together  in  the  evening 
to  converse  with  him.  Long  discussions  occupied  the 
hours.  The  "hireling"  question  especially  was  canvassed, 
for  these  good  people  seemed  to  consider  that  funda- 
mental;  but  when  the  itinerant  explained  to  them  fully 
the  financial  economy  of  Methodism — that  it  provided 
barely  for  the  support  of  the  laborer ;  that  this  support 
enabled  him  to  go  out  into  the  world  calling  sinners  to 
repentance ;  that  the  Quakers,  so  far  as  they  sent  abroad 
preachers,  did  so  on  substantially  the  same  plan ;  and 
that  all  Christians  should  liberally  contribute  to  send  them 
out  till  the  whole  world  should  hear  the  Gospel — "  they 
all  seemed  to  assent,  and  one  elderly  woman  lifted  up  her 
hands  and  then  brought  them  down  with  emphasis,  ex- 
claiming, '  That  is  God's  truth  ;  I  know  it.'  The  con- 
versation having  ended,"  he  continues,  "  I  said,  '  I  feel 
it  my  duty  to  pray  with  you.'  'Thee  can  pray  if  thee 
wishes,'  said  my  host.  I  accordingly  kneeled  down 
and  prayed  with  much  liberty,  and  then  retired  to 
bed,  happy  in  the  love  of  God,  praising  him  for  all 
his  mercies,  and  slept  sweetly  under  the  smiles  of  his 
reconciled  countenance."  He  soon  after  left  their  settle- 
ments, and  never  saw  them  again ;  but  he  had  reason  to 
hope  that  his  brief  mission  had  proved  a  blessing  to 
them. 


110 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


AT  A  NEW  TEAK'S  DANCE. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1802,  he  set  off  to  attend  some 
preaching  appointments  which  he  had  made  along  the 
lake  shore.  The  journey  was  to  afford  him  some  farther 
examples  of  frontier  life.  "  The  roads,"  he  says,  "  were 
bad,  most  of  the  country  being  new  and  in  some  places 
a  continuous  forest  of  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles  extent. 
About  sunset  I  came  to  a  creek,  the  bridge  of  which 
was  so  broken  that  my  horse  would  not  cross  upon  it, 
neither  could  I  lead  or  drive  him  over  the  ice  as  the 
middle  of  the  creek  was  not  frozen,  but  the  current 
ran  rapidly,  making  a  noise  with  the  broken  ice  that 
frightened  him.  I  went  up  and  down  the  stream  for  a 
considerable  distance  in  the  snow  and  ice  to  find  a  place 
on' which  I  might  cross.  I  was  more  than  an  hour  in 
making  this  useless  effort.  Being  compelled  either  to 
stay  in  the  woods  all  night  or  to  return,  of  the  two  evils 
I  chose  the  last.  I  found  on  my  way  back  an  Indian 
trader's  house,  where  a  number  of  people  were  assem- 
bled to  celebrate  the  New  Year.  They  were  singing, 
dancing,  and  drinking  at  a  high  rate.  I  offered  money 
if  any  two  of  the  men  would  go  with  me  and  help  me 
over  the  creek ;  but  no  one  would  consent,  for  the  night 
had  fallen  and  it  was  cold.  The  man  of  the  house  assured 
me  that  if  I  would  stay  with  him  over  night  I  should  be 
well-treated.  I  accordingly  put  up  my  horse  and  entered 
the  house.  I  declined  the  whisky  which  was  offered  me, 
but  told  the  woman  of  the  house  I  should  be  thankful 
for  something  to  eat,  as  I  had  eaten  nothing  since  early 
in  the  morning.   She  kindly  prepared  me  a  good  supper." 

And  now  a  remarkable  but  characteristic  scene  ensued. 
"Seating  myself,"  he  continues,  "by  the  fire,  I  com- 
menced a  conversation  with  a  woman  on  the  subject  of 
religion.  I  found  that  she  was  a  backslidden  Baptist. 
While  talking  with  her  one  and  another  drew  near  and 
formed  quite  a  group  of  listeners,  until  finally  so  many 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


Ill 


assembled  around  me  that  the  dance  could  not  go  on. 
A  large,  athletic  man  now  stepped  up  to  me  and  said, 
'  Sir,  if  you  will  remain  here  you  must  be  civil ;  you  must 
not  preach.'  I  replied,  'I  am  not  preaching;  but  as 
Providence  has  cast  my  lot  among  you,  I  think  it  my 
duty  to  talk  with  those  who  are  willing  to  hear  me  on 
the  things  that  make  for  their  eternal  peace.  You  will 
not  deprive  me  of  this  privilege,  will  you  ?'  '  No,'  said 
he,  '  but  we  must  dance,'  and  he  seized  the  women  and 
dragged  them  out  upon  the  floor,  and  resumed  the  dance 
with  increased  hilarity.  This  they  continued  until  nearly 
midnight.  I  then  said  to  the  chief  trader,  who  had  be- 
come very  friendly  with  me,  'With  your  permission  I 
will  address  a  few  words  to  the  people.'  He  assented, 
and  requested  them  to  give  attention.  I  arose  and  ad- 
dressed them  in  substance  as  follows:  'It  is  now  mid- 
night, and  the  holy  Sabbath  has  begun.  You  have 
amused  yourselves  with  dancing,  I  think,  long  enough 
to  satisfy  you,  if  not  to  fatigue  you,  and  if  you  continue 
it  longer  you  will  not  only  transgress  the  law  of  God, 
but  likewise  the  law  of  your  country.  I  advise  you, 
therefore,  to  desist  and  retire  to  your  rest.'  They  com- 
plied so  far  as  to  cease  dancing.  But  the  Indian  trader 
came  to  me  and  said,  '  The  Indians  are  encamped  a  short 
distance  from  us,  and  they  expect  a  dance  here  as  I  have 
promised  them  one.'  He  asked  my  permission  to  let 
them  have  it.  I  replied  that  I  had  no  control  over  his 
house  or  the  Indians,  but  if  he  would  dispense  with  the 
revel  he  would  highly  gratify  me,  and,  I  doubted  not, 
would  please  God.  He  rejoined  that  as 'he  had  prom- 
ised them  the  dance  they  would  expect  it,  and  would  be 
greatly  incensed  if  they  were  denied  it.'  He  then  went 
to  the  door  and  gave  the  Indian  'whoop,'  and  down 
came  the  savages  and  began  an  Indian  dance,  which, 
with  their  dramming  upon  an  old  pan,  their  frequent 
yells,  their  stamping  and  bodily  distortions,  presented  a 
spectacle  fit  for  pandemonium." 


112 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


There  could  be  small  hope  of  a  serious  impression  by 
anything  he  could  say  amid  such  scenes ;  but  it  was  his 
rule  to  lose  no  opportunity  however  desperate ;  he  had 
been  faithful  to  the  white  dancers;  he  tried  now  the 
Indians.  "I  requested  the  trader  to  assist  me  in  con- 
versing with  them.  To  this  he  assented,  when  the 
chief  of  the  Indians  presented  himself  before  me  with 
great  dignity  and  gravity.  I  asked  him  if  he  knew 
whence  they  had  descended.  He  replied,  'Yes;  the 
Great  Spirit  at  first  made  one  man  and  one  woman, 
placed  them  on  an  island  about  an  acre  in  size;  thence 
they  were  driven  for  an  act  of  disobedience  to  the  conti- 
nent, and  from  them  they  had  all  descended.'  I  then 
gave  him  an  account  of  the  creation  of  the  world,  of 
man  in  particular,  of  his  fall  and  its  consequences.  I 
asked  him  if  he  had  ever  heard  of  Jesus  Christ.  He 
replied, '  No.'  I  then  gave  him  an  account  of  our  Lord's 
birth,  his  life,  miracles,  and  teachings,  his  sufferings  and 
death.  While  describing  the  death  of  Christ,  the  chief 
pointed  to  his  heart  and  lifted  his  eyes  and  hands  toward 
heaven  apparently  filled  with  amazement.  When  I  had 
concluded  he  clasped  me  in  his  arms,  kissed  me  and 
called  me  father,  and  entreated  me  to  come  and  live  with 
him  and  be  the  teacher  of  his  people.  After  assuring 
him  of  my  affection  for  them  and  the  deep  interest  I  felt 
for  their  eternal  welfare,  I  told  him  that  I  could  not  com- 
ply with  his  request,  but  hoped  the  time  was  not  distant 
when  a  Christian  teacher  should  be  sent  to  them.  They 
then  retired  to  their  encampment. 

"But  the  worst  of  this  strange  night  was  yet  to 
come.  There  were  two  traders  present,  one  of  whom, 
the  head  man,  had  become  intoxicated  and  still  wanted 
more  liquor ;  the  other  refused  to  let  him  have  it.  The 
dispute  ran  high,  and  the  drunken  trader  raised  his  fist 
to  strike  the  othei-,  when  I  stepped  in  between  them  and 
averted  the  blow.  He  then  swore  that  if  he  was  not 
allowed  more  whisky  he  would  call  the  Indians  and  fall 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


113 


upon  and  murder  us  all.  He  accordingly  went  to  the 
door,  gave  the  horrible  '  whoop !'  and  the  Indians  came 
rushing  to  the  house.  Meantime,  those  within  armed 
themselves  as  well  as  they  could  with  sticks  and  clubs, 
determined  to  defend  themselves  to  the  utmost.  I  shud- 
dered for  the  consequences.  The  enraged  man  then  said, 
'  Here  are  my  guards  at  the  door.  If  you  will  give  me 
more  whisky,  well ;  if  you  will  not,  they  shall  fall  upon 
you,  and  we  will  murder  you  all.'  'Will  you?'  the  other 
exclaimed,  and  lifted  his  arm  to  strike  him  down.  I  again 
stepped  between  them,  and  placing  my  hand  upon  the 
drunken  man's  shoulder  said,  'Come,  my  friend,  let  us 
go  lp  sleep.  If  you  will  be  my  friend,  I  will  be  yours !' 
He  consented.  We  laid  down  upon  a  bed,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  he  was  asleep.  I  then  arose ;  the  Indians  had 
retired  to  their  camp,  and  at  dawn  of  day  I  started  on 
my  way,  persuading  two  men  to  accompany  me  to  the 
creek  and  help  me  over  by  laying  logs  on  the  broken 
bridge.  I  passed  on,  praising  God  for  delivering  me 
from  the  perils  of  this  dismal  night  and  for  enabling 
me  to  prevent  the  shedding  of  blood,  as  well  as  for  the 
pleasing  interview  I  had  with  the  Indian  chief. 

DISCORD  HEALED. 

**I  reached  my  appointment  in  time  to  preach  that 
day,  and  then  went  down  the  lake  shore,  preaching  every 
day,  and  the  Lord  was  with  me  and  kept  me  in  my  way 
through  those  wild  and  dangerous  scenes.  There  was 
on<fcoeiety  on  the  circuit  in  quite  a  disturbed  state.  It 
was  divided  by  two  parties,  and  many  attempts  had  in 
vain  been  made  to  unite  them  both  by  myself  and  the 
presiding  elder.  One  evening  I  had  an  appointment 
among  them,  and,  while  preaching,  the  Spirit  of  God 
descended  upon  me  and  upon  them ;  his  love  seemed  to 
till  and  overflow  every  heart.  They  were  all  melted  into 
tenderness.  Now,  I  thought,-  is  a  good  time  to  bring 
about  a  reconciliation,  and  accordingly  I  said  to  them, 
8 


114 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


'  If  you  are  now  willing  to  settle  your  difficulties,  and 
forgive  and  forget  what  is  past,  rise  up,  meet  one  another 
in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  shake  hands,  and  thus  mani- 
fest your  love  one  to  another.'  They  instantly  rose, 
seized  each  other  by  the  hand,  some  weeping,  some 
praising  God  aloud,  the  women  kissing  one  another,  the 
men  falling  on  one  another's  necks  and  sobbing.  Thus 
their  old  difficulties  were  ended  by  the  healing  influence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  they  were  bound  together  as  the 
heart  of  one  man.  I  believe  that  most  of  the  discords 
which  occur  among  Christians  originate  in  the  absence 
of  the  divine  love,  from  Avhich  alone  the  true  love  of  the 
brethren  can  spring.  The  best  cure  of  public  troubles 
in  the  Church  is,  therefore,  a  revival  of  the  personal 
piety  of  its  members." 

Such  are  some  of  the  "lights  and  shadows"  of  frontier 
life,  and  of  the  frontier  itinerant  ministry  of  Methodism 
at  the  beginning  of  our  century.  The  inhabitants  of  this 
now  rich  and  flourishing  region,  with  a  commodious 
Methodist  chapel  in  almost  every  city,  town,  and  village, 
can  hardly  deem  them  credible,  for  the  frontier,  the  "far 
West,"  has  since  passed  to  the  Mississippi  River  and 
even  beyond  it.  Besides  their  interest  as  remarkable  or 
curious  facts,  they  are  not  without  historical  significance 
as  illustrations  of  conditions  in  both  social  and  religious 
life  which  are  fast  receding,  and  in  a  few  generations 
will  be  seen  no  more  on  our  continent. 

The  faithful  evangelist  continued  to  brave  the  ^id- 
ships  of  this  field  of  labor  until  the  next  Conference,  when 
he  was  appointed  to  the  Bay  of  Quinte,  one  of  the  earliest 
circuits  of  Canada,  and  the  scene  of  recent  and  extraor- 
dinary religious  interest.  He  records  as  an  instance  of 
the  kindness  of  his  brethren  on  the  Niagara  circuit,  his 
"  spiritual  birthplace,"  that  at  the  suggestion  of  Joseph 
Jewell,  his  presiding  elder,  they  contributed  money 
enough  to  purchase  a  horse  for  him,  on  which  he  rode 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


115 


off  to  the  adventures  of  his  new  field.  "  I  received  him," 
he  thankfully  writes,  "as  a  gift  from  the  Lord,  for  I  had 
been  riding  a  borrowed  one  from  the  time  at  which 
mine  had  died.  He  was  the  best  I  have  ever  owned,  and 
carried  me  safely  thousands  of  miles,  sharing  my  suffer- 
ings in  the  heats  of  summers  and  the  terrible  blasts  of 
those  northern  winters." 

He  left  the  circuit  in  general  prosperity.  One  year 
before  it  reported  three  hundred  and  twenty  members ; 
it  now  reported  six  hundred  and  twenty,  and  Long 
Point,  the  chief  field  of  his  labors,  was  recognized  at  the 
conference  of  1802  as  a  distinct  circuit.  About  a  hund- 
red souls  had  been  converted  in  Burford  and  Oxford 
through  his  instrumentality,  and  in  our  day  his  name  is 
still  a  household  word  in  the  Methodist  families  of  that 
region.  Few  who  knew  him  remain ;  yet  the  descendants 
of  his  old  hearers,  living  no  longer  in  log-cabins,  but  in 
comfortable  if  not  opulent  homes,  worshiping  no  longer 
under  trees  or  in  barns,  but  in  convenient  temples,  have 
learned  from  their  pious  and  departed  fathers  to  revere 
him  as  the  pioneer  champion  of  the  cross  among  their 
early  settlements. 


116 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER  IX. 

BAT    OF    QUINTE  CIRCUIT. 

It  was  not  usual  at  that  early  day  for  the  young 
preachers  to  attend  the  Annual  Conferences.  The  jour- 
ney from  remote  circuits  to  the  place  of  the  session  was 
long  and  expensive,  and  the  scattered  societies  needed 
the  continuous  attention  of  some  of  the  laborers.  Jewell, 
the  presiding  elder  of  the  whole  Canadian  field,  bore, 
therefore,  its  reports  to  the  Conference ;  while  most,  if 
not  all,  the  circuit  preachers  remained  at  their  posts 
till  his  return  with  their  new  appointments. 

The  session  was  held  in  New  York  city  in  the  first 
week  of  June,  1802.  Nathan  Bangs  was  there  desig- 
nated, with  Joseph  Sawyer  and  Peter  Vannest,  to  the 
Bay  of  Quinte  circuit.  Of  his  new  field  he  says,  "I 
found  myself  agreeably  situated  among  a  people  deeply 
experienced  in  religion,  remarkably  kind  and  attentive  to 
all  my  wants ;  and,  in  addition  to  all  my  other  comforts, 
I  had  the  satisfaction  of  being  under  the  oversight  of  my 
spiritual  father,  Joseph  Sawyer,  whom  I  loved  and  ven- 
erated as  one  of  the  best  of  men.  This  region  had  also 
been  the  scene  of  the  labors  of  some  of  the  most  holy 
men  the  world  ever  saw. 

A  POWERFUL  PREACHER. 

"  Among  others,  Hezekiah  Calvin  "Wooster  had  sound- 
ed the  alarm  through  these  forests,  and  many  were  the 
anecdotes  that  I  heard  of  him  among  the  people,  who 
delighted  to  talk  of  him.  He  was  indefatigable  in  his 
labors,  'full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,'  and  preached 
with  the  'demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  of  power.' 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


117 


He  professed  and  enjoyed  the  blessing  of  sanctification, 
and  was,  therefore,  a  man  of  mighty  faith  and  prayer. 
The  people  never  tired  of  telling  of  the  power  of  his 
word — how  that  sinners  could  not  stand  before  him,  but 
would  either  rush  out  of  the  house  or  fall  smitten  to  the 
floor.  I  never  found  so  many  persons,  in  proportion  to 
their  number,  who  professed  and  exemplified  the  '  per- 
fect love'  of  God,  as  he  had  left  on  this  circuit." 

The  name  of  this  powerful  preacher  has  already  oc- 
curred in  these  pages ;  it  appears  frequently  in  the  early 
Methodist  publications,  but  only  in  passing  allusions. 
The  extreme  winters  of  the  Canadian  climate  were  too 
severe  for  his  delicate  frame ;  but  he  would  not  desert 
the  field  till  advanced  pulmonary  disease  compelled  him 
to  cease  preaching.  Hopeless  of  any  further  health,  he 
returned  to  his  parental  home  to  die  amid  his  kindred. 
I  have  discovered  a  single  glimpse  of  him,  on  his  route 
homeward,  in  the  journal  of  Lorenzo  Dow.  That  eccen- 
tric man  had  been  laboring  sturdily  on  extensive  circuits 
in  New  England.  Through  all  his  wandering  course  he 
carried  with  him  a  profound  religious  solicitude,  not  un- 
mixed, perhaps,  with  the  infirmities  of  partial  insanity ; 
and  amid  apparent  ebullitions  of  humor  his  spirit  hungered 
and  thirsted  after  God.  He  writes  in  his  own  unpolished 
but  explicit  style  as  follows:  "When  I  was  on  the  Orange 
circuit  I  fell  in  with  T.  Dewey,  on  Cambridge  circuit. 
He  told  me  about  Calvin  Wooster  in  Upper  Canada — 
that  he  enjoyed  the  blessing  of  sanctification.  I  felt  a 
great  desire  arise  in  my  heart  to  see  the  man,  if  it  might 
be  consistent  with  the  divine  will ;  and  not  long  after  I 
heard  he  was  passing  through  the  circuit  and  going  home 
to  die.  I  immediately  rode  five  miles  to  the  house,  but 
found  he  was  gone  another  five  miles  further.  I  went 
into  the  room  where  he  was  asleep ;  he  appeared  to  me 
more  like  one  from  the  eternal  world  than  like  one  of  my 
fellow-mortals.  I  told  him  when  he  awoke  who  I  was 
and  what  T  had  come  for.    Said  he,  'God  has  convicted 


118 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


you  for  the  blessing  of  sauctification,  and  that  blessing 
is  to  be  obtained  by  the  simple  act  of  faitli  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  blessing  of  justification.'  I  persuaded  him 
to  tarry  in  the  neighborhood  a  few  days ;  and  two  even- 
ings later,  after  I  had  done  preaching,  he  spoke,  or  rather 
whispered  out  an  exhortation,  as  his  voice  was  so  broken 
in  consequence  of  praying  in  the  air  in  Upper  Canada, 
where  from  twenty  to  thirty  were  frequently  blessed  at 
a  meeting.  He  told  me  that  if  he  could  get  sinners 
under  conviction,  crying  for  mercy,  they  would  kneel 
down,  a  dozen  of  them,  and  riot  rise  till  they  found 
peace ;  '  for,'  said  he,  '  we  did  believe  God  would  bless 
them,  and  it  was  according  to  our  faith.'  At  this  time 
he  was  in  a  consumption,  and  a  few  weeks  after  expired. 
While  whispering  out  the  above  exhortation,  the  power 
which  attended  it  reached  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and 
some  who  were  standing  and  sitting  fell  like  men  shot 
on  the  field  of  battle ;  and  I  felt  it  like  a  tremor  running 
through  my  soul  and  every  vein,  so  that  it  took  away  my 
limb  power  and  I  fell  to  the  floor,  and  by  faith  saw  a 
greater  blessing  than  I  had  hitherto  experienced ;  or,  in 
other  words,  felt  a  divine  conviction  of  the  need  of  a 
deeper  work  of  grace  in  my  soul — feeling  some  of  the 
remains  of  the  evil  nature,  the  eflect  of  Adam's  fall,  still 
remaining,  and  my  privilege  to  have  it  eradicated  or 
done  away.  My  soul  was  in  an  agony — I  could  but  groan 
out  my  desires  to  God.  Wooster  came  to  me  and  said, 
*  Believe  the  blessing  is  now.'  No  sooner  had  the  words 
dropped  from  his  lips  than  I  strove  to  believe  the  bless- 
ing mine  now  with  all  the  powers  of  my  soul ;  then  the 
burden  dropped  from  my  mind,  and  a  solid  joy  and  a 
gentle  running  peace  filled  my  soul.  From  that  time  to 
this  I  have  not  had  the  ecstasy  of  joy  or  a  downcast 
spirit  as  formerly,  but  more  of  an  inward,  simple,  sweet 
running  peace-  from  day  to  day,  so  that  prosperity  or 
adversity  doth  not  produce  the  ups  and  downs  as  for- 
merly ;  but  my  soul  is  more  like  the  ocean,  while  its  sur- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


119 


face  is  uneven  by  reason  of  the  boisterous  wind,  the 
bottom  is  still  calm;  so  that  a  man  may  be  in  the  midst 
of  outward  difficulties,  and  yet  the  center  of  the  soul 
may  be  calmly  stayed  on  God." 

Such  was  the  influence  of  Wooster  on  this  wayward 
but  energetic  man — such  the  power  of  his  eloquence 
whispered  from  lips  blanched  with  mortal  disease.  He 
passed  on  to  his  home  and  lay  down  to  die ;  but  before 
his  spirit  left  the  body  it  seemed  already  in  heaven.  He 
was  asked  when  his  power  of  utterance  was  almost  gone 
if  his  confidence  in  God  was  still  strong.  "Strong! 
strong!"  was  his  whispered  but  exulting  reply.  When 
he  was  fast  declining,  and  death  was  almost  in  view,  he 
exclaimed  that  "the  nearer  he  drew  to  eternity,  the 
brighter  heaven  shined  upon  him." 

OTHER  ITINERANTS. 

"Here,"  continues  Dr.  Bangs,  "I  became  acquainted 
with  Darius  Dunham,  the  first  presiding  elder  of  the  dis- 
trict, and  of  whom  I  had  heard  much  in  connection  with 
the  labors  of  Wooster.  *  On  this  circuit,  at  a  quarterly 
conference,  Dunham  received,  under  a  prayer  of  Woos- 
ter, the  'baptism  of  fire.'  This  was  a  most  happy 
event,  for  while  Wooster  was  spreading  the  flame  on 
Oswegatchie  circuit,  and  afterward  on  that  of  the  Bay 
of  Quinte,  Dunham,  being  presiding  elder,  extended  it 
from  circuit  to  circuit  through  the  district,  and  great 
multitudes  were  awakened  and  converted.  It  spread 
not  only  through  Upper  Canada,  but  ran  in  its  course 
into  the  United  States.  Many  preachers  caught  the 
sacred  inspiration.  Among  others  Elijah  Woolsey,  a 
man  of  sweet  spirit,  who  was  at  that  time  itinerating 
m  Canada,  and  who  was  greatly  blessed  in  his  labors,  as 
may  be  seen  from  his  '  Lights  and  Shadows  of  the  Itin- 
erancy.' Indeed,  it  became  a  proverbial  saying  among 
the  people  along  the  way  from  Canada  to  the  seat  of  the 
New  York  Conference,  that  the  northern  'preachers 


120 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


brought  the  Canada  fire  with  them.'  This  Canada  fire 
was  none  other  than  the  flame  of  sanctifying  grace, 
which  then  spread  like  a  conflagration  over  the  Canada 
circuits." 

SEVERE  ILLNESS. 

He  pursued  his  labors  on  this  circuit  with  much  suc- 
cess till  the  autumn,  when  the  typhus  fever  broke  out 
and  raged  as  an  epidemic  through  most  of  the  settle- 
ments. In  some  of  them  it  prevailed  so  generally  that 
there  remained  not  persons  enough  in  health  to  take 
care  of  the  sick.  Many  perished,  but  the  preacher  held 
on  his  course,  ministering  to  the  diseased  and  dying,  till 
he  himself  was  seized  with  the  pestilence.  About  the 
middle  of  December  he  was  compelled  to  give  up  his 
labors  and  take  to  his  bed.  He  was  thoroughly  medi- 
cated, but  the  medical  skill  of  the  country  was  yet  very 
imperfect,  and  it  was  still  the  day  in  which,  contrary  to 
the  imperative  and  instinctive  dictate  of  nature,  cold 
Avater,  the  best  relief  in  febrile  disease,  was  scrupulously 
denied  to  the  languishing  patient.  In  three  days  after 
his  attack  he  became  delirious.  His  paroxysms  were 
sometimes  so  violent  that  it  required  three  men  to  hold 
him  in  his  bed.  He  demanded  water,  but  it  was  denied 
him.  The  intensity  of  the  disease  not  only  deranged  his 
reason,  but  beclouded  his  religious  feelings.  At  times 
he  was  in  spiritual  ecstasy,  but  his  raptures  were  fol- 
lowed by  the  deepest  dejection,  in  which  he  says,  "Any 
duty  I  had  neglected,  or  any  cross  I  had  shunned,  came 
vividly  to  my  recollection.  I  mourned,  prayed,  and  ex- 
pressed my  doubts  and  fears  to  the  friends  who  attended 
me.  They  endeavored  to  comfort  me  by  reminding  me 
of  the  goodness  of  God  in  blessing  me  so  often,  but  these 
considerations  afforded  me  no  relief.  I  pleaded  for  con- 
solation in  the  name  of  Christ,  and  help  came  at  last. 
To  record  all  the  wild  experiences  of  a  mind  bewildered 
by  a  burning  fever  would  afford  no  satisfaction,  but  there 


XATHASr  BAXGS,  D.D. 


121 


is  an  important  lesson  to  be  learned  from  this  example 
of  the  effect  of  disease  on  religious  feeling;  suffering 
saints  should  understand  it  well,  and  so  should  also  their 
ministering  friends,  who  often  suffer  keenly  by  sympathy 
in  such  cases.  The  clouds  which  obscure  the  sun  do  not 
extinguish  him.  Many  things  that  occurred  in  this  trial 
I  should  have  never  known  had  I  not  been  informed  of 
them  by  my  attendants,  who  tenderly  watched  over  me 
in  my  anguish  ;  but  some  things  I  remember  as  distinctly 
as  any  events  of  my  life.  This  I  know,  that  after  being 
delivered  from  my  mental  distress,  I  was  extremely 
happy  in  God,  and  desired  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ. 
So  low  was  I  that  the  people  were  called  in  twice  or 
thrice  to  see  me  die." 

COLD  WATER. 

Nature  at  last  prevailed  over  the  fallacies  of  his  phy- 
sicians and  attendants.  He  demanded  cold  water  inces- 
santly, and  threatened  to  rise  up  and  leave  the  house  if 
it  were  longer  withheld  from  him.  "I  accordingly  arose 
from  the  bed,"  he  writes,  "  dressed  myself,  put  on  my 
overcoat,  hat,  and  mittens,  and  tottered  to  the  door,  which 
they  had  so  fastened  that  I  could  not  open  it.  Seeing  a 
pail  of  water  standing  upon  a  bench  in  the  room,  I 
seized  hold  of  it,  but,  alas !  I  had  not  strength  to  lift  it, 
and  dare  not  stoop  down  to  drink,  for  I  was  so  weak  I 
should  have  fallen  prostrate.  Seeing  me  so  eager,  one  of 
the  attendants  approached  and^  lifted  the  pail  to  my 
mouth,  and  I  drank  as  long  as  I  had  strength  to  swallow. 
This  is  the  last  that  I  can  remember  of  the  scene.  The 
family  told  me  afterward  that  I  sat  down  in  a  chair  and 
continued  calling  for  water,  which  was  now  freely  given 
me,  as  they  deemed  my  life  hopeless.  I  at  last  told  them 
to  lay  me  on  the  bed.  I  there  prayed  mightily  to  God 
for  his  blessing.  The  room  was  now  full  of  people,  for 
they  had  been  called  in  to  see  me  die.  The  next  thing 
that  I  remember  is  that  the  heavens  seemed  to  be  opened 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


above  me,  and  the  glory  of  God,  like  a  sudden  blaze  of 
lightning,  illuminated  the  apartment.  I  uttered  aloud 
the  praises  of  the  Lord  until  my  strength  was  exhausted, 
the  people  adoring  him  with  me.  How  long  I  lay  sense- 
less after  this  ecstasy  I  know  not.  When  I  came  to 
myself  it  seemed  like  an  awakening  from  a  pleasant 
dream.  My  soul  was  exceedingly  happy,  but  my 
physical  strength  was  so  exhausted  that  I  could  not 
raise  my  hand  to  my  head,  nor  could  I  utter  a  loud 
word,  and  when  I  became  able  to  articulate  my  voice 
was  like  that  of  an  infant.  My  fever,  however,  was 
gone,  and  returned  no  more,  except  in  some  slight 
symptoms  at  intervals.  I  recovered  my  strength  very 
slowly,  having  taken  a  very  violent  cold,  which  was  ac- 
companied with  a  distressing  cough,  and  the  expectora- 
tion of  abundance  of  blood.  Most  of  those  who  saw  me 
supposed  that  I  could  not  live  long,  but  God  in  mercy 
raised  me  up  from  the  gates  of  death.  O  the  goodness 
of  God !  the  preciousness  of  the  Lord  Jesus  !  I  saw  in 
my  extremity  that  there  is  '  no  other  name  given  among 
men'  by  which  I  could  be  saved  'but  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ.'  Nothing  that  I  had  ever  said  or  done,  not 
even  my  best  works,  though  ever  so  sincere,  nor  even  my 
faith  or  prayers,  preaching,  traveling,  privations  or  suf- 
ferings, could  justify  me  in  the  sight  of  God  without 
Christ.  But  in  that  time  of  extremity  I  could  say  in 
true  faith: 

" 1  Jesus,  thy  blood  and  righteousness 
My  beauty  are,  my  glorious  dress ; 
'Midst  flaming  worlds,  in  these  arrayed, 
With  joy  shall  I  lift  up  my  head  !' 

"  My  soul  is  indeed  overwhelmed  even  while  I  now, 
fifty  years  after  the  event,  write  this  account  of  the 
mercifuTdealings  of  God  to  me  in  that  hour  of  deep  afflic- 
tion of  body  and  mind — both,  indeed,  indescribable." 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


123 


IIIS  "DOUBLE  VOICE." 

He  had  been  confined  to  his  bed  seven  weeks  and 
three  days ;  three  months  passed  before  he  could  attempt 
to  preach,  and  even  then  his  voice  was  so  feeble  that  he 
could  harflly  be  heard.  His  friends  believed  he  could 
never  recover  strength  enough  to  resume  his  labors,  and 
his  physician  concurred  in  this  opinion.  The  cough  and 
expectoration  of  blood,  which  followed  the  fever,  so  af- 
fected his  lungs  that  his  first  attempts  to  ride  were  at- 
tended with  acute  pains;  but  he  persisted,  and  horse- 
back riding  was  probably  itself  the  remedy  that  at  last 
saved  him.  The  feebleness  of  his  voice,  however,  oc- 
casioned an  unnatural  effort  to  speak  loud  enough  to  be 
heard,  and  to  this  fact  he  ascribes  "  that  double  sort  of 
voice"  which  continued  through  his  long  life.  Many  of 
his  hearers  have  noticed  it  as  a  singularity,  and  perhaj)S 
condemned  it  as  a  faulty  mannerism — little  supposing 
that,  like  the  scarred  and  mutilated  confessors  at  the 
Council  of  Nice,  he  thus,  in  our  happier  times,  and  before 
our  opulent  Churches,  "  bore  in  his  body  the  marks  of 
the  Lord  Jesus," — a  memento  of  the  heroic  days  of  our 
ministry.  This  deep,  tremulous  undertone  of  his  voice, 
though  usually  not  agreeable,  took  at  times  a  peculiar 
pathos.  How  much  more  affecting  would  it  have  been 
had  his  hearers,  in  his  latter  years,- known  that  it  was 
caused  by  his  attempts  to  preach  the  everlasting  Gospel 
through 'the  frontier  wilderness  when  he  was  apparently 
a  "lying  man.  Sickness  in  the  family  of  his  colleague 
rendered  it  necessary  that  Be  should  thus  prematurely 
resume  his  labors  on  the  circuit.  "  I  went  to  work,"  he- 
writ  es,  "in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  as  well  as  I  could. 
I  was  received  as  one  risen  from  the  dead ;  the  Lord 
M  as  with  me  in  much  mercy,  and  blessed  me  in  soul 
and  body,  and  I  believe  also  made  me  a  blessing  to 
the  people.  I  continued  my  labors  until  the  last  quar- 
terly meeting,  when  I  left,  in  company  with  another 


124  LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 

young  preacher,  Thomas  Madden,  for  the  New  York 
Conference." 

EARLY  MINISTERIAL  SUFFERINGS. 

He  bore  with  him  from  this  circuit  many  precious 
memories.  More  than  a  hundred  members  *had  been 
added  to  the  societies,  notwithstanding  the  epidemic 
pestilence  and  the  disablement  of  the  preachers.  He 
records  with  gratitude  the  faithful  attentions  of  the  peo- 
ple to  him ;  their  liberality  in  paying  for  his  physician 
and  medicines,  and  what  was  rare  in  that  day,  not  only 
on  the  frontier,  but  everywhere,  their  full  payment  of  his 
"Quarterage"  at  the  end  of  the  year — twenty  dollars 
for  the  quarter,  eighty  dollars  for  the  year !  He  alludes 
to  the  sufferings  of  his  brethren  of  those  times,  occasioned 
by  deficits  in  such  payments,  and  to  the  great  loss  which 
the  Church  had  to  endure  by  their  necessary  "location" 
or  their  premature  deaths,  caused  both  by  their  excessive 
labor  and  deficient  support.  The  growth  of  their 
families,  or  the  prostration  of  their  health  by  labor  and 
privation,  compelled  many  of  them  to  "  locate,"  or  "  de- 
sist from  traveling."  Of  two  hundred  and  eighteen, 
classed,  by  a  historian  of  Methodism,  as  the  "first  race 
of  Methodist  preachers"  in  England,  more  than  half  (one 
hundred  and  thirteen)  retired  from  the  itinerancy,  nearly 
all  of  them  for  such  reasons.  The  itinerants  in  America 
suffered  still  more.  Of  six  hundred  and  fifty  who  had 
been  recorded  in  the  Minutes  in  the  United  States  by 
the  end  of  the  last  century,  about  five  hundred  died 
"  located,"  and  many  of  the  remainder  were  a  longer  or 
a  shorter  interval  in  the  "local"  ranks,  but  were  able  to 
resume  their  travels.  The  early  American  Conference 
records  show  a  host  of  martyrs  ;  nearly  half  of  those 
whose  deaths  are  recorded  fell  before  they  were  thirty 
years  old ;  about  two  thirds  died  after  twelve  years'  serv- 
ice, and  a  majority  of  the  "  first  race  of  Methodist  * 
preachers"  in  England,  who  died  in  the  itinerancy,  fell 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


125 


prematurely,  victims  to  their  hard  work.  In  America 
they  suffered  not  only  from  excessive  labors,  but  by  the 
exposures  incident  to  a  new  country,  and  the  severities 
of  a  variable  climate;  wilting  under  the  heats  of  the 
60Uth  or  the  wintry  storms  of  the  north,  swimming 
streams,  braving  snows,  sleeping  but  partially  sheltered 
in  frontier  cabins  or  under  the  trees  of  the  forest.  We 
have  had  sufficient  proofs  of  these  sufferings  already  in 
the  life  of  Xathan  Bangs,  but  more  remain. 

REVISITS  HIS  HOME. 

He  had  never  yet  met  in  a  Methodist  annual  confer- 
ence, and  departed  with  eager  expectation  to  see  an 
assembly  of  his  fellow-laborers,  and  especially  their 
great  leader,  the  model  and  representative  man  of  them 
all — Asbury.  He  had  some  money  in  his  pocket,  and  a 
staunch  war-horse,  the  gift  of  his  brethren  on  Niagara 
"-ircuit ;  and  though  still  feeble  in  health,  yet  ardent  with 
the  characteristic  chivalry  of  the  itinerancy,  he  went 
with  the  determination  to  offer  himself  as  a  missionary 
for  the  still  remoter  region  of  the  River  Thames.  His 
route  was  across  the  whole  state  of  Xew  York,  but  he 
pressed  forward  cheerfully.  His  filial  affection  turned 
him  aside  to  visit  his  family,  for  he  had  not  seen  his 
parents  during  five  years.  "  I  prayed  much,"  he  writes, 
"  that  the  Lord  would  make  my  visit  a  blessing  to  my 
friends.  They  all  received  me  joyfully.  As  my  father 
was  in  the  field,  I  went  out  to  find  him,  and  met  him  on 
the  way,  but  was  so  overcome  that  I  could  not  speak 
for  some  time.  After  recovering  myself,  I  spoke  a  few 
words,  and  then  asked  him  if  I  might  preach  in  his  house 
that  evening.  He  gave  his  consent.  "Word  being  sent 
around,  the  house  was  filled  at  an  early  hour,  and  my 
father,  who  was  much  prejudiced  against  the  Methodists, 
occupied  an  adjoining  room.  I  gave  out  the  following 
words :  '  Come  and  hear  all  ye  that  pass  by,  and  I  will 
declare  what  he  hath  done  for  my  soul.'    After  a  brief 


126 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


introduction,  I  related  my  Christian  experience,  and  God 
abundantly  blessed  my  soul,  and  enlarged  my  heart,  and 
gave  me  liberty  of  utterance.  When  I  concluded  my 
sermon,  I  asked  if  any  one  was  present  who  would  close 
the  meeting,  and  who  should  arise  but  my  eldest  brother 
Joseph,  who  had  been  made  a  partaker  of  divine  grace 
in  my  absence,  and  who  was  now  a  licensed  exhorter. 
We  had  a  '  time  of  refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord,'  and  my  soul  truly  exulted  in  God  my  Saviour.  I 
preached  a  number  of  times  in  the  neighborhood  and  the 
adjacent  settlements,  and  my  honored  father  had  his  prej- 
udices so  far  removed  that  he  followed  me  ;  and  many 
of  my  former  acquaintances,  who  never  before  heard  a 
Methodist  preacher,  came  to  hear  me.  I  went  also  to 
the  East  Branch  of  the  Delaware  River,  where  I  had 
formerly  resided  about  three  years.  Information  having 
been  given  of  my  coming,  many  of  my  old  companions 
in  sin  came  to  hear,  and,  I  suppose,  to  see  '  if  any  good 
thing  could  come  out  of  Nazareth.'  After  preaching,  I 
related  my  experience,  and  pointed  to  many  old  facts 
with  which  they  were  well  acquainted.  They  seemed  to 
be  much  affected,  and  while  the  people  of  God  rejoiced, 
and  my  own  soul  was  much  refreshed,  solemnity  seemed 
to  rest  on  all  present." 

THE  GAKKETTSON  HOMESTEAD. 

Taking  reluctant  leave  of  his  family  and  old  friends,  he 
resumed  his  course  toward  the  Conference.  He  paused 
for  a  brief  rest  at  the  mansion  of  Freeborn  Garrettson, 
on  the  Hudson,  near  Rhinebeck,  and  records  his  delight 
at  the  beautiful  scenery  of  the  vicinity,  and  the  sanctified 
comforts  and  hospitality  of  the  family.  He  had  read, 
and  received  inspiration  from  the  published  journals  of 
the  patriarchal  itinerant,  and  now  listened  with  deep  in- 
terest to  his  conversation,  sharing  its  rich  lessons  and 
romantic  incidents  with  a  number  of  preachers,  who, 
like  himself,  had  found  there  a  brief  resting-place  on 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


127 


their  way  to  the  Conference.  He  alludes  with  admira- 
tion to  the  wife  of  Garrettson,  that  "elect  lady,"  the 
personal  friend  of  Washington,  Hamilton,  and  Jay,  and 
correspondent  of  Lady  Washington.  The  daughter  of  an 
opulent  and  distinguished  family,  and  endowed  with 
rare  accomplishments,  with  wealth  and  every  youthful 
hope  of  fashionahle  life,  this  noblewoman  had  discovered 
in  Methodism  the  sterling  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  and 
embraced  them  courageously,  notwithstanding  any  ap- 
parent incompatibility  of  the  social  character  of  the  new 
sect  with  her  own  social  position.  She  died  in  1849, 
after  a  pilgrimage  of  more  than  ninety-six  years,  which 
had  been  distinguished  by  one  of  the  most  beautiful  de- 
velopments of  character  and  most  useful  lives  known  in 
the  records  of  female  piety.  Their  residence  on  the 
eastern  shore  of  the  Hudson  still  remains,  amid  one 
of  the  most  charming  pictures  of  that  beautiful  scenery. 
It  continues  to  be  as  it  was  in  Garrettson's  day,  a  temple 
for  the  neighborhood,  and  an  asylum  of  hospitality, 
especially  to  Methodist  preachers,  who  are  ever  wel- 
comed at  its  door  with  the  benediction,  "  Come  in,  thou 
blessed  of  the  Lord."  While  Garrettson*  sheltered  his 
family  in  this  rural  retreat,  it  was  but  his  headquarters, 
whither  he  resorted  for  occasional  repose — not  to  escape 
from  his  duties.  His  stations  were  sometimes  as  remote 
from  it  as  Philadelphia ;  and  he  retired  permanently  to 
it  only  when  age  compelled  him  to  give  up  his  minis- 
terial labors.  Some  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  before 
this  visit,  when  Methodism  had  reached  beyond  New 
York  city,  only  as  far  as  Westchester,  Garrettson  was 
commissioned  by  Asbury  to  explore  the  extended  region 
of  the  Hudson,  and  twelve  young  preachers  were  assigned 
to  him.  He  knew  little  or  nothing  of  the  vast  field,  but 
in  a  dream  it  seemed  to  open  before  him — a  magnificent 
vision — "the  whole  north  country  as  far  as  Lake  Cham- 
plain."  He  designated  his  band  of  laborers  to  various 
posts,  and  traveled  himself  over  the  whole  region.  Now 


128 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


his  own  home  was  in  one  of  its  most  attractive  localities, 
the  headquarters  of  flourishing  circuits,  and  in  our  day 
the  shores  of  the  noble  river  are  studded  with  Method- 
ist societies  and  chapels.  The  intimacy  which  young 
Bangs  thus  formed  with  the  Garrettson  household  lasted 
through  his  life.  He  often  returned  to  it  as  to  a  social 
sanctuary,  and  became  the  biographer  of  its  patriarch — 
a  man  who  was  one  of  the  chief  founders  of  Methodisn 
from  Virginia  to  Nova  Scotia. 

BISHOP  ASBURY. 

They  arrived  at  New  York  in  time  for  the  Conference, 
which  was  held  in  June,  1804.  "I  was  gratified,"  he 
writes,  "  at  seeing  so  many  of  the  preachers,  especially 
Bishop  Asbury,  whose  venerable  aspect  and  dignified 
manners  filled  me  with  admiration.  I  noticed,  however, 
that  his  preaching  was  quite  discursive,  if  not  discon- 
nected, a  fact  attributed  to  his  many  cares  and  uninter- 
mitted  travels,  which  admitted  of  little  or  no  study ;  but 
his  manner  was  singularly  imposing;  he  was  grave  and 
commanding,  his  voice  sonorous,  and  his  delivery  at- 
tended with  peculiar  force  and  majesty.  He  seemed 
like  a  great  military  commander  who  had  been  crowned 
by  many  victories.  He  slid  from  one  subject  to  another 
without  system.  He  abounded  in  illustrations  and  anec- 
dotes. I  got  a  very  exalted  opinion  of  him,  though  I  was 
somewhat  disappointed  in  his  preaching.  My  reverence 
for  him  was  profound  ;  he  represented  the  whole  Church, 
for  he  was  its  chief  minister  and  its  chief  laborer.  In 
the  Conference  he  presided  with  great  wisdom,  dis- 
patch, and  dignity,  and  treated  the  young  preachers  as 
a  father."  Asbury  was  now  but  about  fifty-seven  years 
old,  but  had  lived  the  lives  of  half  a  score  of  ordinary 
men ;  his  brow  was  indented,  his  face  weather-worn,  his 
locks  gray,  and  his  aspect  was  that  of  a  septuagenarian ; 
no  man  in  the  ecclesiastical  history  of  the  New  World 
had  labored  and  suffered  as  he  had,  and  none  had 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


129 


achieved  greater  results.  The  growing  host  of  itinerant 
preachers  beheld  him  with  admiration  and  wonder,  as  he 
hastily  passed  over  his  long  routes — meeting  them  ever 
and  anon  for  a  few  days,  and  then  disappearing  on  the 
frontier  or  in  the  distant  north  or  south — night  and  day 
sounding  the  trumpet  of  the  Gospel,  and  hastening  for- 
ward as  if  the  final  judgment  were  about  to  break  upon 
tlie  world. 

ORDIXATIOX. 

Nathan  Bangs  had  now  passed  through  the  two  years 
of  probation  in  the  ministry  required  by  the  Discipline  of 
the  Church.  He  was,  therefore,  received  into  full  mem- 
bership and  ordained  a  deacon,  and  two  days  later  he 
was  ordained  a  presbyter,  contrary  to  the  customary 
course  of  the  Church,  which  requires  a  further  candidacy 
of  two  years  for  the  latter  function.  This  exceptional 
proceeding  was  highly  complimentary  to  him  ;  it  was 
justified  not  only  by  his  faithful  services  in  Canada,  but 
by  the  fact  that  he  appeared  before  the  Conference  as  a 
volunteer  missionary  to  the  settlements  on  the  River 
Thames,  where  he  might  need  authority  for  the  consecra- 
tion of  the  sacraments.  He  was  deeply  affected  by  the 
solemnity  of  the  ordination  service.  "  It  was,"  he  says, 
"  a  precious  season  to  myself,  and,  I  believe,  to  others  also. 
When  my  name  was  called  in  the  Conference  I  was  reclin- 
ing on  a  seat  in  the  back  part  of  the  church.  After  my 
presiding  elder  had  favorably  represented  me,  Bishop 
Asbury  remarked,  with  his  ringing,  military  voice,  '  He 
preached  in  this  [John-street]  church  yesterday ;  he 
was  too  systematic'  This  I  thought  a  curious  objec- 
tion. It  was  not  meant,  however,  as  a  serious  charge, 
and  I  was  cordially  elected."  He  had  probably  been  em- 
barrassed in  appearing  for  the  first  time  in  the  pulpit 
before  the  Conference,  and  had  detailed  the  "skeleton" 
of  his  discourse  too  minutely,  without  clothing  it  with 
sufficient  nerve  and  muscle.  "  I  felt,"  he  continues,  "  in- 
9 


130 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


deed  unworthy  of  being  united  to  such  a  wise  and  holy 
body  of  men.  At  my  ordination  I  was  impressed  with 
an  awful  solemnity,  as  the  bishop's  hands  were  laid  on 
my  head,  and  he  lifted  up  his  strong  and  sonorous  voice, 
saying,  '  From  the  ends  of  the  earth  we  call  upon  thee, 
O  Lord  God,  to  pour  upon  this  thy  servant  the  Holy 
Ghost  for  the  office  and  work  of  a  deacon  in  the  Church 
of  God.'  These  were  the  words  he  used  instead  of  the 
prescribed  form,  and  as  he  uttered  them  such  a  sense  of 
the  divine  presence  overwhelmed  me  that  my  knees 
trembled,  and  I  feared  that  I  should  fall  to  the  floor!" 

He  thus  stepped  into  the  ranks  of  a  host  of  evangelical 
heroes;  for  the  New  York  Conference  at  that  time  in- 
cluded such  men  as  Garrettson,  Thatcher,  Snethen,  Eze- 
kiel  Cooper,  Merwin,  Ilibbard,  Ruter,  Ostrander,  Clark, 
Crawford,  and  many  others  who  were  the  "  giants  of 
those  days."  It  was  still  an  immense  field,  including 
most  of  the  state  of  New  York,  large  western  portions 
of  Connecticut,  Massachusetts,  and  Vermont,  and  all  llic 
circuits  of  Canada.  At  the  close  of  the  session  he 
mounted  his  horse  and  set  off  for  the  River  Thames,*  a 
region  still  impenetrated  by  the  Methodist  itinerants. 
Thither  let  us  now  follow  him. 

*  I  have  followed  his  manuscript  mostly,  in  names  and  dates,  rather 
than  the  printed  "Annual  Minutes;"  the  latter  are  often  defective. 
The  River  Thames  does  not  appear  at  all  in  the  early  lists  of  appoint- 
ments ;  in  1804  the  "  Eiver  la  French"  is  given  for  it  by  mistake. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


131 


CHAPTER  X. 

ITINERANT  LIFE   IN  CANADA. 

Hia  first  travels  on'the  Niagara  circuit  had  extended 
from  the  Niagara  River  westward  to  beyond  Oxford, 
more  than  half  the  distance  between  Lakes  Ontario 
and  Huron  ;  a  region  then  but  sparsely  settled.  Tliey 
deviated  also  southward  to  Long  Point,  which  reaches 
into  Lake  Erie,  and  eastward  to  Little  York  or  To- 
ronto, on  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Ontario.  His 
second  circuit,  the  Bay  of  Quinte,  was  an  immense 
range  on  the  north-east  of  Lake  Ontario.  He  had  thus 
gone  over  most  of  the  region  immediately  north  of  the 
two  great  lakes,  or  rather  inland  seas,  of  Ontario  and 
Erie.  We  have  witnessed  the  severity  of  his  trials  in 
these  new  countries ;  he  had  endured  them  "  as  a  good 
soldier  of  the  Lord  Jesus ;"  and  he  would  have  appeared 
justified  tad  he,  in  retracing  his  steps  to  his  paternal 
home,  and  to  the  Conference  in  New  York  city,  asked 
for  an  appointment  nearer  his  kindred  and  in  a  more 
genial  climate,  especially  as  he  went  to  the  session  almost 
wrecked  in  health.  But  he  went  thither  for  the  express 
purpose  of  soliciting  permission  to  throw  himself  into  a 
still  more  westward  and  more  desolate  region,  a  region 
noted,  at  that  time,  for  pestilential  disease  and  religious 
destitution — the  recent  settlements  on  the  River  Thames, 
a  'stream  which  enters  the  St.  Clair,  opposite  Detroit, 
beyond  the  north-western  shore  of  Lake  Erie. 

A  MACEDONIAN  CALL. 

While  he  was  struggling  and  triumphing  through  the 
first  year  of  his  itinerancy,  he  received  a  letter  at  Oxford, 


332 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


from  a  German  Baptist  who  lived  on  the  River  Thames, 
about  sixty  miles  from  Detroit,  urging  him  to  come  over 
and  proclaim  his  message  in  that  country,  then  almost 
totally  without  religious  provision.  He  knew  nothing  of 
the  writer,  but  the  call  seemed  like  that  of  the  Macedo- 
nian vision  to  Paul,  and  it  followed  him  continually.  He 
repeatedly  offered  his  services  for  the  new  field  to  his 
presiding  elder;  but  the  latter  deemed  the  wants  of  the 
nearer  fields  too  urgent,  and  his  health  too  feeble,  to 
justify  the  mission.  He  was  sent  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion, to  the  Bay  of  Quinte  circuit ;  but  while  he  there  lay, 
languishing,  as  we  have  seen,  with  fever,  and  his  brethren 
were  gathering  around  his  bed  to  see  him  die,  he  still 
saw  the  beckoning  vision  in  the  further  West,  and,  ex- 
pecting to  rise  no  more,  actually  made  his  will,  bequeath- 
ing his  horse  and  watch — all  the  property  he  had  except 
his  thoroughly  worn  raiment — to  any  preacher  who  would 
go  to  that  suffering  people.  He  had  prayed  for  them 
incessantly  in  secret,  ever  since  the  receipt  of  the  letter 
which  called  him  to  them. 

After  his  ordination  as  a  deacon  at  the  conference,  he 
requested  an  interview  with  Bishop  Asbury,  and  made 
known  to  him  his  impression  of  a  providential  call  to  this 
mission.  The  keen  eye  of  the  veteran  leader  lighted  up 
as  he  gazed  on  the  young  evangelist.  "  He  unhesitat- 
ingly replied,"  writes  the  latter,  "as  if  catching  the 
inspiration  with  which  my  own  heart  was  kindled, 
'  You  shall  go,  my  son.' "  The  bishop  presented  the 
case  before  the  Conference,  and  ordained  him  a  presby- 
ter, that  he  might  go  with  full  powers  to  administer  the 
sacraments. 

ADVENTURES  IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 

"  No  sooner,"  he  writes,  "  was  my  way  thus  opened, 
than  a  host  of  difficulties  rallied  to  prevent  my  going; 
suggestions  about  my  youth,  my  want  of  health,  want  of 
money,  the  distance — it  being,  by  the  route  I  must  go, 


NATIIAX  BANGS,  D.D. 


133 


about  six  hundred  miles — and  a  thousand  other  obsta- 
cles ;  but  I  resolved,  by  the  help  of  God,  to  press  through 
them  all  and  fulfill  my  mission.  With  but  fifteen  dol- 
lars in  my  pocket  I  set  off,  in  company  with  William 
Anson  and  Daniel  Pickett,  the  former  being  appointed 
to  Yonge-street,  the  latter  to  Niagara.  We  entered 
Canada  by  way  of  Kingston,  then  went  up  the  shore  of 
Lake  Ontario,  passing  through  the  settlements  where  I 
had  before  labored  ;  stopping  on  the  way  and  preaching 
to  the  people,  until  we  finally  arrived  at  the  head  of  the 
lake,  on  the  Niagara  circuit,  near  the  place  where  I  had 
preached  my  first  sermon.  Here  I  was  to  part  from  my 
traveling  companions,  and  proceed  alone.  My  money 
was  all  expended,  and  I  had  about  eighty  miles  still  to 
travel  before  I  should  reach  my  destined  field.  New 
difficulties  presented  themselves,  and  I  knew  not  how 
I  could  advance  any  further.  I  went  into  the  woods, 
kneeled  down  before  God,  and  wept  and  prayed.  Finally 
the  words  came  forcibly  to  my  mind,  'The  earth  is  the 
Lord's,  and  the  fullness  thereof.'  I  arose  with  renewed 
courage,  saying  '  I  will  go  in  the  name  of  the  Lord ;  for 
lie  has  the  hearts  of  all  men,  and  he  can  turn  them  which 
way  soever  he  will.'  Before  I  left  these  parts,  one  friend 
and  another  put  into  my  hands  money  amounting  to  eleven 
dollars,  enough  for  my  journey.* 

"  Before  proceeding  further  I  visited  my  sister,  with 
whom  I  boarded  when  I  experienced  religion.  She  was 
a  pious,  humble  follower  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Having 
heard  that  I  had  died  in  my  severe  sickness  at  the  Bay 
of  Quinte,  and  having  received  word  of  my  recovery  only 
about  a  week  before  my  arrival,  she  was  no  less  surprised 
than  delighted  to  see  me.  This  beloved  sister  was  often 
a  comfort  to  me  in  that  distant  land,  and  I  loved  her  ten- 
derly.   After  spending  a  day  or  two  with  her,  I  resumed 

*  "  I  deem  it  my  duty  to  say  that  the  first  who  gave  me  anything 
was  Reuben  Harris,  a  poor  preacher ;  and  I  suppose  he  induced  tho 
others  to  help  me.    I  trust  he  has  received  his  reward," 


134 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OP 


my  jcirney.  Unexpectedly,  a  young  man  offered  to  ac- 
company me,  and  we  set  off  together.  August  4th  and 
5th  we  attended  a  quarterly  meeting  at  Oxford,  where  I 
was  refreshed  among  my  old  friends,  the  first-fruits  of  my 
ministry,  with  whom  I  now  took  sweet  counsel  about 
the  labors  and  trials  before  me.  Departing  with  their 
prayers,  wTe  journeyed  about  thirty  miles  to  Delaware- 
town,  where  I  preached  and  lodged  in  the  last  house  of 
the  settlement.  My  bed  was  a  bundle  of  straw,  my  sup- 
per, '  mush  and  milk.' 

m  "August  10th  we  arose  at  break  of  day,  took  a  little 
food,  and  started  for  a  ride  through  the  wilderness,  forty- 
five  miles  long,  with  no  roads,  and  only  'blazed,'  or 
marked,  trees  to  guide  us.  There  being  not  even  a  beaten 
path,  we  were  often  at  a  loss  to  know  whether  we  were 
right  or  wrong ;  but  we  got  safely  through  at  last.  The 
flies  and  musketoes  were  so  troublesome  that  our  horses 
could  not  stand  to  eat,  though  we  stopped  in  a  shady 
meadow  for  that  purpose  ;  we  therefore  rode  through  the 
woods  without  any  other  refreshment  for  them  than  what 
they  nibbled  as  we  passed  along.  As  for  ourselves,  we 
had  a  little  Indian  bread  and  dried  beef  in  our  pockets, 
of  which  we  partook ;  but  the  water  we  occasionally 
met  looked  so  black  that  we  dare  not  drink  it.  Our 
horses  seemed  as  eager  to  get  through  as  ourselves,  for 
whenever  practicable,  they  would  trot  on  with  all  their 
speed.  We  arrived  about  sunset,  weary,  hungry,  and 
thirsty,  at  a  small  log-hut,  inhabited  by  a  Frenchman. 
My  tired  horse  lay  down  as  soon  as  the  saddle  and  bridle 
were  taken  off.  I  asked  the  woman  of  the  cabin  if  she 
could  give  me  a  drink  of  tea,  but  she  had  none.  Being 
almost  famished,  I  requested  the  man  to  procure  us  some 
water,  which  we  sipped  a  little  at  a  time,  as  if  it  were 
nectar  ;  we  then  ate  some  Indian  pudding  and  milk,  the 
best  food  we  could  obtain.  After  praying  with  the  fam- 
ily, we  lay  down  on  a  bundle  of  straw,  slept  sweetly,  and 
rose  in  the  morning  much  refreshed  and  invigorated  in 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


135 


body  and  mind.  The  poor  woman  was  so  kind  as  to  send 
early  to  a  distant  neighbor,  to  beg  some  tea  for  us ;  but  she 
had  neither  tea-kettle,  tea-pot,  nor  tea-cup,  she  therefore 
boiled  it  in  a  "  dish-kettle"  and  then  poured  it  into  a  tin 
cup,  from  which  we  drank  it  with  more  relish  than  ever 
a  king  drank  wine  from  a  golden  goblet.  I  thought  it 
the  most  refreshing  beverage  I  had  ever  drunk.  We  al- 
lowed our  horses  to  rest  till  about  ten  o'clock,  and  then 
rode  about  seven  miles  to  a  Moravian  mission,  a  small 
Indian  village  on  the  River  Thames.  We  dined  with  one 
of  the  missionaries,  two  of  whom  were  stationed  here.  I 
had  considerable  conversation  with  him  respecting  their 
doctrines  and  usages,  as  well  as  their  labors  among  the 
Indians.  He  was  very  sociable,  and  seemed  to  possess 
much  of  the  simplicity  of  the  Gospel.  These  good  men 
had  much  trouble  in  their  work,  from  the  corrupting  in- 
fluence of  the  neighboring  white  settlers  upon  the  Indians, 
and  it  was  hoped  by  them  that  our  labors  among  the 
former  would  help  their  mission. 

"  While  here,  the  Indians  were  called  together  for 
worship,  which  was  performed  in  a  very  simple  manner, 
by  reading  a  short  discourse  in  their  own  language,  and 
singing-a  few  verses  of  a  hymn.  The  missionaries  and  In- 
dians treated  us  with  great  respect,  and  seemed  to  rejoice 
in  the  prospect  of  having  the  Gospel  preached  to  the 
white  settlements  on  the  banks  of  the  river  below." 

FIEST  RECEPTION. 

After  this  interview  with  the  Moravian  missionaries, 
the  itinerant  and  his  companion  resumed  their  route,  and, 
early  in  the  afternoon,  reached  the  first  house  in  the  white 
settlement.  "Turning  my  horse,"  he  says,  "  toward  the 
fence,  before  the  door,  I  saw  a  man  in  the  yard,  and  after 
the  customary  salutations  I  said,  'Do  you  want  the  Gos- 
pel preached  here?'  After  looking  at  me  witli  curious 
earnestness,  he  replied,  'Yes,  that  we  do:  do  you  preach 
the  Gospel  ?'    '  Yes,'  I  answered.    '  Well  then,'  said  he, 


136 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


'  get  down  and  come  in.'  I  replied,  '  I  have  ridden 
a  great  distance  to  preach  in  this  region  ;  it  is  now 
Saturday  afternoon;  to-morrow  being  the  Sabbath,  I 
must  have  a  place  to  preach  in  before  I  alight  from  my 
horse.'  He  deliberated  a  few  moments,  and  then  said, 
'I  have  a  house  for  you  to  preach  in,  victuals  and  lodging 
for  yourself,  and  provender  for  your  horse,  and  you  shall 
be  welcome  to  them  all  if  you  will  come  in.'  I  remarked, 
'I  have  one  more  request  to  make.  There  is  a  young 
man  a  little  behind  me,  who  has  accompanied  me  through 
the  woods:  will  you  entertain  him  too  ?'  '  By  all  means,' 
"*  he  answered.  This  first  interview  in  my  new  sphere  of 
labor  pleased  me  much.  '  God  has  made  my  way  plain 
thus  far,'  I  said  to  myself,  '  and  therefore  I  Avill  praise 
him.' 

A  FRONTIER  MEETING. 

"This  man  took  his  horse  and  rode  through  the  settle- 
ment for  ten  miles,  notifying  the  people  that  there  would 
be  preaching  at  his  house  on  Sunday  morning,  at  ten 
o'clock.  At  the  appointed  hour  the  house  was  crowded. 
I  commenced  the  service  by  remarking  that  '  When  a 
stranger  appears  in  these  new  countries  the  people  are 
usually  curious  to  know  his  name,  whence  he  comes, 
whither  he  is  bound,  and  what  is  his  errand.  I  will  try 
to  satisfy  you  in  brief.  My  name  is  Nathan  Bangs.  I 
was  born  in  Connecticut  May  2,  17 1 8.  I  was  born  again 
in  this  province,  May,  1800.  I  commenced  itinerating  as 
a  preacher  of  the  Gospel  in  the  month  of  September,  1801. 
On  the  18th  of  June,  the  present  year,  I  left  New  York 
for  the  purpose  of  visiting  you,  of  whom  I  heard  about 
t  wo  years  ago,  and  after  a  long  and  tedious  journey  I 
am  here.  I  am  bound  for  the  heavenly  city,  and  my  er- 
rand among  you  is  to  persuade  as  many  as  I  can  to  go 
with  me.  I  am  a  Methodist  preacher  ;  and  my  manner  of 
worship  is,  to  stand  while  singing,  kneel  while  praying, 
and  then  I  stand  while  I  preach,  the  people  meanwhile 


NATHAN  BAXGS,  D.D. 


137 


sitting.  As  many  of  you  as  see  fit  to  join  me  in  this  way 
can  do  so,  and  others  may  choose  their  own  method.'  I 
then  read  a  chapter  in  the  Bible,  after  which  I  gave  out 
a  hymn.  When  the  young  man  who  accompanied  me 
stood  up  to  sing,  they  all  rose,  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren. When  I  kneeled  in  prayer,  they  all  kneeled  down ; 
such  a  sight  I  never  saw  before.  I  then  read  for  my 
text,  '  Repent  ye  therefore,  and  be  converted,  that  your 
sins  may  be  blotted  out  when  the  times  of  refreshing  shall 
come  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord.'  In  explaining  and 
enforcing  these  words,  I  felt  that  my  divine  Master  was 
with  me  in  truth  and  power ;  every  cloud  was  dispelled 
from  my  mind,  and  my  heart  overflowed  with  love  for 
these  people.  I  believe  I  preached  with  'the  Holy  Ghost 
sent  down  from  heaven.'  When  I  had  concluded,  I  in- 
formed them  of  our  manner  of  preaching,  the  amount  of 
quarterage  we  received,  and  the  way  in  which  it  was 
collected.  I  then  said,  'All  of  you  who  wish  to  hear  any 
more  such  preaching,  rise  up.'  They  all  rose,  every 
man,  woman,  and  child.  I  then  notified  them  that  in 
two  weeks,  God  willing,  they  might  expect  preaching 
again,  and  closed  the  meeting.  Thus  was  my  circuit 
begun. 

SALUTATIONS. 

"  After  seating  myself,  an  elderly  man  approached,  and 
offering  his  hand  with  much  affection,  asked  me  if  I  knew 
Bishop  Asbury.  I  said  '  Yes,'  and  then  asked  him  if  he 
knew  him,  to  which  he  replied  in  the  affirmative.  He  was 
from  the  state  of  New  Jersey,  had  been  there  a  member 
of  our  Church,  had  frequently  entertained  the  preachers, 
and  among  others,  the  bishop ;  but  he  had  been  in  this 
country  about  seven  years,  totally  destitute  of  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  Gospel,  for  there  was  no  minister  of  any 
order  in  all  this  region.  I  asked  him  how  far  he  lived 
from  that  place.  He  rejriied,  '  Ten  miles,  down  the  river.' 
'  Will  you  allow  me  to  preach  in  your  house?'    He  joy- 


138 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


fully  replied  in  the  affirmative.  '  Have  you  any  sons 
here  with  you  ?'  '  I  have  one,'  said  he.  '  Let  him  mount 
his  horse,  ride  immediately  home,  and  notify  the  people 
that  I  will  preach  at  your  house  at  three  o'clock  this 
afternoon  ;  you  stay  and  dine  with  me,  and  then  we  will 
ride  on  together.'  He  did  so,  and  when  we  arrived  the 
house  and  yard  were  full  of  people,  to  whom  I  preached 
with  lively  satisfaction.  Among  others  present,  I  ob- 
served a  veteran  man  with  a  long  beard.  At  the  close  of 
the  meeting  he  was  introduced  as  Mr.  3Iessmore,  a  Ger- 
man Baptist.  He  was  the  person  who  had  written  to  me 
the  letter  about  two  years  before,  inviting  me  to  come  in- 
to this  neglected  country.  The  next  day  I  preached  at  his 
house,  about  twenty-one  miles  distant.  Thus  did  God  help 
me,  and  open  my  way.  I  felt  that  I  was  in  the  order  of 
his  providence.  Such  a  sweetness  of  soul  I  enjoyed,  such 
a  liberty  and  unction  in  preaching,  as  plainly  indicated 
that  I  was  under  his  guidance,  and  his  smile  seemed  to 
light  up  the  wilderness  before  me.  The  next  day,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Messmore,  I  rode  ten  miles  and 
preached  in  the  house  of  an  Indian  woman,  the  widow 
of  a  French  Canadian,  who  had  left  her  considerable 
property.  She  was  a  good,  simple-hearted,  earnest  crea- 
ture, and  reminded  me  of  the  Shunamite,  for  she  prepared 
for  me,  in  an  upper  room,  a  bed,  a  table,  a  chair,  and  a 
candlestick.  In  this  room  I  preached,  and  ate,  and  slept, 
and  no  one  was  allowed  to  enter  it  in  my  absence,  except 
to  keep  it  in  order.  She  never  asked  me  to  sit  at  the 
table  with  her,  deeming  herself  unworthy,  but  prepared 
my  food  and  put  it  on  the  table  in  my  room.  She  consid- 
ered herself  highly  honored  by  having  the  Gospel  preach- 
ed in  her  house,  and  she  treated  me  in  this  way  during 
all  my  stay  in  that  country.  When  I  parted  with  her 
the  next  day  after  my  first  visit,  in  shaking  hands  she  left 
a  dollar  in  my  palm.  It  was  much  needed,  for  I  was 
nearly  out  of  money.  The  next  day  we  traveled,  partly 
through  a  scattered  French  settlement  and  partly  through 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


139 


a  prairie,  fifty  miles,  to  Sandwich,  a  small  village  opposite 
Detroit,  where  I  preached  in  the  evening." 

He  found  there  a  rude  jail,  and  in  it,  among  other 
prisoners,  a  young  man,  under  sentence  of  death  for 
horse-stealing.  He  preached  to  them  all,  but  most  of 
them  being  French,  could  not  understand  him.  The 
young  criminal  was,  however,  led  to  repentance ;  he 
confessed  his  crime  with  tears,  and  died  with  hope  of 
the  mercy  of  God.  The  sudden  appearance  of  the  itin- 
erant thus  brought  comfort  and  hope  to  him  in  his  ex- 
tremity. He  clung  to  the  preacher  with  a  breaking  heart 
as  his  last,  his  only  friend.  "I  could  not  but  reflect," 
says  the  latter,  "  upon  the  severity  of  that  criminal  code 
which  condemned  a  man  to  death  for  stealing  a  horse. 
Such  undue  severity,  in  my  opinion,  instead  of  preventing 
crime,  tends  to  harden  the  heart  and  promote  crime." 

DETROIT  IX  1804. 

He  crossed  the  river  to  Detroit,  and  having  a  letter  of 
introduction  to  a  Presbyterian  minister,  called  on  him, 
but  found  him  in  a  "  backslidden  state,  apparently  des- 
titute of  the  fear  of  God,  neither  preaching  nor  pray- 
ing. He  had  become  a  magistrate,  and  had  married  a 
French  Roman  Catholic  wife.  He  received  me,  however, 
with  a  friendly  spirit,  and  assisted  me  in  procuring  the 
Council  House  for  preaching.  I  preached  that  evening 
to  a  large  congregation.  The  people  here  were  princi- 
pally French  Papists ;  the  rest  were  a  mixture  of  En- 
glish, Irish,  and  Americans,  all  as  wicked  apparently  as 
they  could  well  be.  I  left  another  appointment  for  two 
weeks  from  that  evening.  At  the  appointed  time  I  ap- 
peared among  them  again,  and  while  preaching  there 
arose  a  terrible  thunder-storm.  The  lightning  flashed 
vividly,  the  peals  of  thunder  rattled  through  the  heavens 
like  discharges  of  artillery.  I  kept  on  preaching,  and 
admonished  the  hearers  that  this  was  but  a  faint  resem- 
blance of  that  day  when  the  heavens  shall  pass  away 


140 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


with  a  great  noise,  and  the  elements  melt  with  fervent 
heat.  Two  young  men,  as  they  afterward  related,  sat 
trembling,  fearing  that  the  house  would  be  struck  and 
they  killed  for  their  wickedness.  They  had  put  powder 
into  the  candlesticks,  hoping  that  it  would  be  reached 
by  the  lights  and  explode  during  the  worship  ;  but  the 
meeting  closed  too  early  for  their  design.  They  said  that 
after  the  sermon  was  ended,  and  I  took  up  the  candle  to 
read  the  hymn,  they  feared  the  powder  would  explode 
in  my  eyes.  Here  again  God  was  with  me  and  delivered 
me.  The  next  time  I  visited  Detroit  a  Presbyterian 
missionary  invited  me  to  dine  with  him,  which  I  thank- 
fully did.  I  found  him  a  rigid  Hopkinsian,  and  he  en- 
deavored in  vain  to  convince  me  of  what  he  called  my 
errors.  He  treated  me,  howevei-,  with  Christian  cour- 
tesy. He  told  me  that  he  had  preached  until  none  but 
children  came  to  hear  him,  and  that  he  had  given  up  the 
place  in  despair,  but  hoped  I  would  have  better  success. 
The  people  turned  out  so  well  in  the  evening  that  I  made 
arrangements  to  give  them  a  Sabbath  appointment,  but, 
alas !  when  the  time  came  only  a  few  children  made  their 
appearance,  and  '  I  shook  oft*  the  dust  of  my  feet  as  a 
testimony  against  them,'  and  left  them.  In  about  four 
weeks  the  whole  town  was  destroyed  by  fire." 

In  his  History  of  the  Church  he  speaks  of  Detroit  as 
at  that  time  a  most  abandoned  place.  Soon  after  the 
fire  it  was  rebuilt.  It  has  become  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant cities  of  the  nation,  and  Methodism  is  now 
strongly  intrenched  there. 

REMARKABLE  SCENES. 

From  Detroit  he  went  to  Fort  Maiden,  and  down  the 
shore  of  Lake  Erie,  among  settlements  of  Americans,  En- 
glish, Scotch,  Irish,  and  Dutch  emigrants.  He  thus  com- 
pleted his  circuit,  and  continued  to  travel  it  about  three 
months.  A  more  morally  destitute  region,  he  says,  he  had 
never  seen.  Young  people  had  arrived  at  the  age  of  sixteen 


NATHAN  BANGS,  I>.D. 


141 


who  bad  never  heard  preaching ;  and  he  found  a  Method- 
ist family,  as  we  have  seen,  who  had  lived  in  the  coun- 
try seven  years  without  hearing  a  sermon.  "  But,"  he 
adds,  "although  the  people  generally  were  extremely 
ignorant  of  spiritual  things,  and  very  loose  in  their 
morals,  they  seemed  ripe  for  the  Gospel,  and  received 
and  treated  God's  messenger  with  great  attention  and 
kindness.  They  treated  me  as  an  angel  of  God  ;  and  as 
St.  Paul  said,  respecting  the  Galatians,  it  seemed  as  if 
they  would  willingly  have  plucked  out  their  own  eyes 
and  given  them  to  me  if  it  could  have  added  anything 
to  my  comfort.  Among  those  whose  hearts  the  Lord 
touched  were  the  parents  of  a  German  family,  who  had 
so  disagreed  with  their  children  that  they  had  all  for- 
saken their  father's  house,  and  there  appeared  an  irrec- 
oncilable enmity  between  them.  The  parents,  when 
converted,  made  known  to  me,  with  many  tears,  their 
unhappy  condition,  and  earnestly  entreated  me  to  at- 
tempt a  reconciliation.  After  deliberating  for  a  while, 
I  advised  them  to  send  an  invitation  to  all  their  children, 
some  of  whom  were  married  and  had  large  families,  to 
come  home  on  a  particular  day,  also  to  invite  a  few  of 
their  neighbors  to  come  in ;  to  have  the  table  spread  in 
the  middle  of  the  room,  and  a  good  dinner,  all  cooked 
beforehand,  ready  to  be  put  upon  it ;  and  to  have  their 
children  all  seated  on  one  side  of  the  room  and  they  them- 
selves on  the  other.  I  jjroposed  then  to  preach  a  ser- 
mon to  them.  At  the  appointed  time  they  all  came,  and 
I  preached  on  the  parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son.  At 
the  conclusion  I  remarked  that  the  Prodigal  is  repre- 
sented as  saying  first,  '  I  wilt  arise  and  go  to  my  father ;' 
but  I  said  to  the  children,  '  your  parents  first  sent  for 
you  ;'  and  then  to  the  parents,  '  your  children  have  com- 
plied, at  your  request ;  they  have  come  at  your  call. 
Here  you  are  all  together  in  the  presence  of  God,  and 
here  are  some  of  your  neighbors  to  witness  what  is  done. 
If  you  are  all  willing  to  forgive  what  is  past,  be  recon- 


142 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


cilcd,  and  live  hereafter  as  parents  and  children  should, 
rise  up,  meet  each  other  before  us,  and  shake  hands  to- 
gether as  a  token  of  your  reconciliation.'  They  all  in- 
stantly arose,  met,  embraced  and  kissed  each  other,  and 
wept  over  one  another  most  profusely.  It  was  indeed 
an  affecting  scene  to  all  present.  When  their  emotions 
had  somewhat  subsided  I  said,  '  Now  set  the  food  upon 
the  table  and  let  us  eat  and  drink  together  in  token  of 
friendship.'  This  was  done  ;  we  all  drew  around  the 
table,  I  asked  a  blessing,  and  we  sat  down,  ate  and  drank 
together.  Thus  had  the  Gospel  restored  harmony  to 
this  broken  circle.  They  were  truly  grateful  to  God  for 
the  reconciliation  brought  to  the  household.  While 
I  remained  in  those  parts  that  house  was  my  home,  and 
the  family  treated  me  as  the  messenger  of  God  to  them. 

"Perhaps  no  part  of  our  country  was  more  subject  to 
fever  and  ague,  or  '  Lake  Fever,'  as  it  was  called,  than 
that  along  the  River  Thames.  It  was  occasioned  by  the 
stagnant  swamps  which  lie  a  little  distance  from  the 
river  on  each  side,  and  the  unwholesomeness  of  the  water 
which  the  people  are  obliged  to  use.  The  fever  began 
to  rage  in  September,  and,  during  its  progress,  in  almost 
every  family  less  or  more  were  sick ;  and  in  some  in- 
stances every  member  of  the  family  was  prostrated  at 
the  same  time.  When  I  first  visited  a  house  I  was  usu- 
ally presented  with  a  whisky  bottle,  and  urged  to  par- 
take of  it  as  a  preservative  against  the  fever ;  but  I  de- 
clined the  beverage,  and  told  them  I  would  drink  water 
and  tea,  and  we  would  see  who  should  have  the  bet- 
ter health.  Though  the  fever  raged  so  that  I  could 
scarcely  visit  a  family  without  seeing  more  or  less 
sick,  I  constantly  traveled  the  country  in  health  until 
about  the  close  of  the  sickly  season,  when  I,  too,  was 
seized  with  the  disease,  but  by  timely  remedies  I  escaped 
with  but  two  or  three  paroxysms.  This  is  mentioned  to 
show  the  mistaken  notion  of  many  people,  who  suppose 
the  use  of  ardent  spirits  is  a  preventive  of  epidemic  dis- 


NATHAN  HANGS,  D.D. 


143 


eases.  It  is  believed  that  it  induces  them  in  nine  eases 
out  of  ten  instead  of  preventing  them." 

His  attack,  though  brief,  was  severe;  he  was  delirious 
some  of  the  time,  but  he  found  shelter  in  the  cabin  of  tin: 
good  Dutchman,  whose  family  he  had  reconciled,  and  to 
their  assiduous  attentions  he  owed  his  quick  recovery, 
lb'  immediately  went  forth  again,  preaching  and  praying 
among  the  suffering  people.  The  fever  still  raged  every- 
where. He  passed  over  to  Detroit,  and  found  all  the 
taverns  crowded  with  the  sick.  He  could  obtain  no 
public  lodging,  but  a  Christian  friend  took  him  in  for  a 
night.  He  returned,  wended  Ins  way  up  the  Thames,  and 
found  the  settlers  despondent  and  perishing.  He  met  a 
large  company  of  Scotchmen  fleeing  with  their  families 
from  the  pesiilent  region  ;  no  less  than  twenty-one  of 
their  number  had  died  within  a  few  days.  Notwith- 
standing their  affliction,  they  were  drunk  and  uproarious. 
He  gave  them  a  brief  tract  on  drunkenness;  it  rapidly 
passed  from  one  to  another,  and  produced  such  an  im- 
pression that  their  clamors  ceased,  and  he  was  asked  to 
preach  and  pray  with  them,  and  parted  from  them  the 
next  day  with  their  hearty  blessings.  He  was  thus  ever 
ready  for  his  work  "  in  season  and  out  of  season."  His 
activity  and  boldness  made  even  the  rude  and  hardened 
quail,  and  they  sometimes  fled  before  him.  One  of  his 
stopping-places  was  a  tavern.  As  he  now  approached  it 
on  horseback  a  boisterous  crowd,  who  were  gambling 
and  drinking  around  a  large  table,  caught  a  glimpse  of 
him,  sprung  up  in  terror  from  their  seats,  and  escaped, 
some  by  the  windows,  some  by  the  back  door,  and  so 
expeditiously  that  not  one  remained  when  he  reached  the 
r:>em.  "Thus,"  he  writes,  "the  wicked  flee  when  no 
man  pursueth."  One  of  them,  however,  carried  away  a 
salutary  impression  of  the  scene.  "I  am  fleeing  from 
man,"  he  exclaimed,  "but  what  shall  I  do  when  God 
calls  me !    I  will  gamble  no  more." 


1-14 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


PERILS  BY  WATER. 

As  he  pursued  his  route  he  met  not  only  sickness  and 
desolation,  but  perils  to  himself  and  especially  to  his 
horse,  his  indispensable  companion.  The  river  was  high, 
and  overflowed  its  banks.  In  some  instances,  when  he 
got  over  it  himself  with  safety,  but  much  difficulty,  the 
noble  animal,  which  he  says  he  loved  nearly  as  much  as 
himself,  was  carried  down  the  current,  and  escaped  only 
by  his  uncommon  strength.  After  relating  several  ex- 
amples of  this  kind,  he  continues:  "At  another  time, 
having  traveled  about  forty  miles  across  the  plains  from 
Sandwich,  and  arriving  in  the  night,  I  made  a  mistake 
by  putting  my  horse  down  the  stream.  We  had  no 
sooner  entered  the  current  than  the  canoe  swung  upon 
his  back,  so  that  it  was  carried  along  by  him  in  this 
manner.  I  immediately  requested  the  oarsman  to  cease 
paddling  and  let  the  horse  take  us  over,  for  I  knew  the 
courage  and  strength  of  the  animal.  I  gave  him  the  full 
length  of  the  bridle,  and  he  landed  us  safely  on  the  other 
side,  though  below  the  usual  landing-place.  I  blessed 
the  noble  brute  and  thanked  God  for  this  deliverance. 

"I  will  relate  one  more  example  of  a  narrow  escape  in 
crossing  this  river.  After  heavy  rains  it  rises  very  rap- 
idly. At  the  time  of  one  of  these  freshets  my  horse  was  on 
one  side  and  I  on  the  other.  I  wished  very  much  to  cross, 
and  went  to  the  ferry  for  the  purpose.  The  ferryman 
was  not  at  home,  but  his  wife  said  that  her  daughter,  a 
girl  about  fourteen  years  old,  could  paddle  me  over.  We 
accordingly  started,  and,  as  the  river  was  much  swollen 
and  very  rapid  in  the  center,  and  the  flats  overflowed  to 
a  considerable  distance,  I  requested  the  girl  to  take  me 
above  the  usual  landing-place  before  she  launched  out 
into  the  current.  I  stood  on  the  stern  of  the  canoe  and 
she  in  the  middle.  We  finally  turned  into  the  rapid 
stream,  which  was  filled  with  floating  logs  and  fragments 
of  timber.    We  paddled  with  all  our  might,  but  in  spite 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


145 


of  our  efforts  we  floated  some  distance  below  the  land- 
ing-place, and  finally  came  into  the  top  of  a  tree  which 
stood  on  the  flat  above  the  lower  bank.  I  cried  to  the 
girl  to  seize  hold  of  a  branch  and  keep  her  feet  steady 
on  the  canoe ;  I  did  the  same  and  we  held  fast.  This 
gave  us  some  time  to  look  around,  and  see  how  we  might 
escape.  I  soon  perceived  that  beyond  the  tree,  shore- 
ward, the  water  backed  aud  formed  an  eddy,  and  if  we 
could  manage  to  get  the  canoe  on  the  side  of  the  tree 
next  to  the  land  we  should  be  safe.  I  accordingly 
directed  the  girl  to  pull  from  branch  to  branch,  and  do- 
ing the  same  myself,  we  succeeded  in  moving  around  the 
tree  until  we  were  between  it  and  the  land,  when  we 
Sprung  to  our  paddles  and  behold  we  were  safe  at  the 
land.  "We  then  went  up  to  the  house,  the  man  of  which 
was  a  friend  of  mine,  and  I  got  him  to  take  the  girl 
back,  after  paying  her  well  for  her  courageous  efforts. 
Such  are  some  of  the  examples  of  itinerant  ministerial 
life  in  that  country  at  that  early  day." 

A  NIGHT  IX  THE  WOODS. 

As  the  winter  approached  he  saw  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  continue  his  travels  effectively  in  this  new 
region,  for  the  roads  were  becoming  impracticable  and 
the  people  were  widely  dispersed.  Some  of  the  settle- 
ments were  ten,  twenty,  and  even  forty  miles  apart,  with 
intervening  forests,  which  the  snows  would  render  im- 
passable. What  should  he  do?  "I  had,"  he  writes, 
"many  struggles  of  mind,  and  earnestly  prayed  for 
divine  guidance."  He  finally  determined  to  return  east- 
ward to  the  Niagara  circuit,  and  induce  some  local 
preachers  to  emigrate  with  their  families  to  the  River 
Thames,  thereby  supplying  its  principal  settlements  with 
men  who  could  sustain  among  them  the  ordinances  of 
religion,  intending  to  return  himself  in  the  spring.  Ac- 
cordingly, about  the  middle  of  November,  he  set  out  for 
the  east.  He  paused  at  the  Moravian  Mission,  and  had 
10 


146 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


a  day  of  profitable  communion  with  its  laborers.  lie 
suming  bis  route,  he  reached  the  last  house — a  log  hut — 
beyond  which  his  way  stretched  forty  miles  through  the 
primeval  forest  to  Delaware-town.  Providentially,  he 
found  in  this  cabin  a  traveler,  bound  on  the  same  course. 
Mounting  their  horses  early  in  the  morning  they  entered 
the  woods.  There  was  snow  two  inches  deep  on  the 
ground ;  the  streams  were  high  and  still  open  ;  the  mud 
was  often  up  to  the  knees  of  their  horses ;  they  fre- 
quently had  to  strip  them  of  saddle  and  bridle  and  drive 
them  over  the  creeks,  and  then  pass  over  themselves  on 
logs.  The  route  was  somber  in  its  winter  desolation. 
Night  overtook  them  on  the  banks  of  a  stream,  and  it 
was  impossible  to  continue  their  course  after  dark.  They 
resigned  themselves,  therefore,  to  sleep  in  the  woods. 
They  had  "  carried  with  them  some  food  for  themselves 
mid  their  horses,  and  flint,  steel,  and  an  Indian  tomahawk 
for  use  as  they  might  have  need.  "We  constructed," 
he  says,  "  a  small  wigwam  of  branches  of  trees  and 
shrubs.  My  companion  attempted  to  strike  fire  for  us, 
but  his  hands  were  so  stiffened  with  the  cold  that  he 
failed.  I  succeeded  with  the  flint,  steel,  and  a  piece  of 
'  punk,'  and  we  kindled  a  rousing  flame,  heaping  on  brush 
and  logs.  It  melted  the  snow,  and  soon  dried  the  surface 
of  the  ground  some  distance  around.  We  tied  our  horses 
to  trees,  gave  them  some  oats,  ate  some  food  ourselves, 
went  to  the  creek  and  drank,  and  then,  having  prayed, 
lay  down  to  sleep  in  our  booth,  the  stars  shining  brightly 
above  us,  and  the  winds  moaning  through  the  solemn 
woods.  After  three  hours  I  awoke,  and  found  my  fellow- 
traveler  up  and  shivering  over  the  fire,  which  had  nearly 
burned  out.  'Come,'  said  I,  'let  us  get  more  fuel  and 
rouse  it  up  again.'  We  did  so,  and  soon  were  comfort- 
able. We  then  sat  down  by  it  and  spent  the  remainder 
of  the  night  in  conversation.  It  was  a  wild,  picturesque 
scene,  and  the  hours  passed  agreeably  as  well  as  profit- 
ably.   At  the  break  of  day  we  mounted  our  horses  and 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


147 


went  onward.  We  arrived  at  the  first  house  about  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  hungry,  thirsty,  and  exhausted. 
I  had  no  sooner  warmed  myself  by  the  fire  than  I  fell 
asleep.  Alter  supper  I  prayed  with  the  family  and  went 
to  bed,  truly  thankful  that  the  Lord  had  preserved  my 
life  and  health  through  all  these  fatigues  and  dangers.  I 
slept  sweetly  that  night,  and  the  next  morning  went  on 
my  way  to  Oxford.  The  snow  had  fallen  in  the  night, 
and  was  so  deep  that  the  traveling  was  difficult ;  but 
my  horse,  who  seemed  as  glad  as  myself  to  get  safely 
through  the  woods  and  swamps,  trotted  on  with  a  brave 
heart,  so  that  I  arrived  at  Oxford  before  night,  and  took 
'  sweet  counsel'  with  my  old  friends  and  spiritual  chil- 
dren. I  remained  there  a  few  days  to  rest  and  preach, 
and  then  passed  on  twenty-five  miles  further,  to  Burford, 
where  I  was  received  as  one  risen  from  the  dead,  for  the 
man  who  accompanied  me  through  the  wilderness  had 
gone  on  before  me  and  had  magnified  our  sufferings  so 
much  that  my  friends  had  almost  given  me  up  for  lost. 
We  praised  God  together  for  his  loving-kindness  and 
tender  mercies.  Not  being  able  to  persuade  any  local 
preachers  to  move  to  the  Thames,  the  people  there  were 
left  without  preaching  till  the  next  year,  when  they  were 
visited  by  William  Case,  whose  faithful  labors  were 
greatly  blessed,  so  that  he  was  able  to  form  societies, 
and  that  region  has  been  a  regular  circuit  ever  since,  and 
hosts  of  the  people  have  been  gathered  into  the  Church. 
It  was  indeed  affecting  to  see  with  what  eagerness  they 
received  the  'word  of  reconciliation.'  Many  had  grown 
to  manhood  who  had  never  heard  a  sermon  till  I  went 
among  them ;  while  others,  who  had  professed  religion  be- 
fore they  moved  thither,  I  found  in  a  backslidden  state,  but 
they  were  glad  to  hear  again  the  joyful  sound  of  salvation." 

A  STARTLING  INCIDENT. 

The  remainder  of  the  year  he  was  retained  on  the 
Niagara  circuit,  among  his  old  friends.    His  colleague 


148 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


was  the  Rev.  Darnel  Pickett.  They  labored  with  their 
might,  and  great  reformations  followed  them  around  th6 
circuit.  "My  own  soul,"  he  says,  "enjoyed  uninter- 
rupted communion  with  God."  In  some  places  the 
population  was  still  extremely  rude,  and  scenes  occurred 
which  could  hardly  happen  in  maturer  communities.  He 
was  often  opposed,  and  sometimes  interrupted  in  his 
public  services,  but  knew  how  to  turn  such  trials  to  ac- 
count. At  one  appointment,  "  a  very  hardened  place," 
a  young  woman  amused  herself  and  a  circle  of  hearers 
around  her  by  laughing  audibly.  He  spoke  to  her,  but 
she  persisted,  when  he  paused  again  and  addressed  a 
solemn  warning  to  her.  She  rose,  rushed  out  of  the  as- 
sembly, was  immediately  seized  with  disease,  and  in  a 
few  days  died  "in  a  most  alarming  manner."  "When 
I  heard  of  her  death,"  he  writes,  "  I  was  shocked.  It 
produced  a  great  sensation  among  the  people ;  some  said 
one  thing,  some  another  ;  and  one  man  declared  he  would 
shoot  me,  did  he  not  fear  that  I  was  a  prophet  of  the 
Lord,  and  therefore  he  dare  not."  The  next  time  he  vis- 
ited them  he  preached  from  the  words,  "  For  all  this  have 
ye  not  returned  unto  me,  saith  the  Lord !"  He  reminded 
them  of  the  recent  solemn  event,  and  admonished  them  im- 
mediately to  repent.  His  word  was  in  power ;  the  whole 
settlement  was  startled,  "  and  from  this  time  a  great  refor- 
mation prevailed,  and  in  about  three  months  an  effective 
Methodist  society  was  organized  there."  Among  its  mem- 
bers was  a  young  lady  who  afterward  became  his  wife — 
the  sharer  of  the  sufferings  and  successes  of  his  long  life. 

FIRST  CANADA  CAMP-MEETING. 

It  Avas  in  this  year  that  the  first  "camp-meeting"  iu 
<  !anada  was  held  in  Adolphustown,  where  the  first  Meth- 
odist class  of  the  province  was  organized,  in  1790,  by  its 
first  Methodist  preacher,  William  Losee,  and  its  first  Meth- 
odist chapel  erected  in  1792.*    Camp-meetings  had  been 

*  Letters  of  Rev.  Anson  Green,  in  the  Christian  Guaidian,  (Canada,) 
dated  February     and  fitareh  1),  ibOO. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D.  149 

extensively  held  in  the  Western  United  States  for  about 
five  years.  They  originated  among  the  Presbyterians. 
They  seemed  justified  by  the  religious  necessities  of  the 
frontier,  where  there  were  but  few  chapels,  and  where,  after 
the  harvests,  the  settlers  could  conveniently  travel  consider- 
able distances  from  home,  and  avail  themselves  of  a  week 
of  camp  life  for  religious  instruction  and  social  intercourse. 
They  immediately  became  favorite  occasions  ;  the  scat- 
tered  population  from  twenty,  fifty,  or  a  hundred  miles 
around,  traveled  to  them  in  wagons,  on  horseback,  or 
on  foot.  Some  brought  tents,  some  erected  booths  of 
trees  and  shrubs.  The  scene,  circled  with  these  tempo- 
rary but  picturesque  shelters,  in  the  midst  of  a  primeval 
forest,  illuminated  at  night  by  pine  torches,  thronged  by 
thousands  of  people,  varied  by  a  daily  succession  of  ser- 
mons, of  prayer-meetings,  of  hymns,  which  sometimes  re- 
sounded for  miles  through  the  wooded  solitudes,  presented 
a  poetic  and  indescribable  interest,  and  could  not  fail  to 
give  a  profound  impression  to  the  powerful,  though  rude 
eloquence,  of  the  frontier  preachers. 

THE  "JERKS." 

Remarkable  demonstrations  of  religious  feeling  attend- 
ed these  great  assemblies.  It  is  not  surprising  that  anom- 
alous religious  "phenomena"  should  also  attend  them. 
The  memoirs  of  the  early  western  Methodist  preachers 
abundantly  record  these  yet  insoluble  marvels.  Hearers, 
hundreds  of  hearers  would  fall  as  dead  men  to  the  earth 
under  a  single  sermon.  The  extraordinary  scenes,  called 
the  "jerks"  began  at  one  of  these  meetings.  They  were 
rapid,  jerking  contortions,  which  seemed  to  be  always 
the  effect,  direct  or  indirect,  of  religious  causes,  yet  af- 
fected not  only  the  religious,  but  often  the  most  irre- 
ligious minds.  Violent  opposes  were  sometimes  seized 
by  them ;  men  with  imprecations  upon  their  lips  were 
suddenly  smitten  with  them.  Drunkards,  attempting  to 
drown  the  effect  by  liquors,  could  not  hold  the  fcottle  to 


150 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


their  lips  ;  their  convulsed  arms  would  drop  it,  or  shiver 
it  against  the  surrounding  trees.  Horsemen,  charging 
in  upon  the  meetings  to  disperse  them,  were  arrested  by 
the  strange  affection  at  the  very  boundaries  of  the  wor- 
shiping circles,  and  were  the  more  violently  shaken  the 
more  they  endeavored  to  resist  the  inexplicable  power. 
"  If  they  would  not  strive  against  it,  but  pray  in  good 
earnest,  the  jerking  would  usually  abate,"  says  a  witness 
who  has  seen  more  than  five  hundred  persons  "jerking" 
at  one  time  in  his  large  congregations.*  The  nervous 
infection  spread  from  one  denomination  to  another,  and 
prevailed  as  an  epidemic  through  much  of  the  valley  of 
the  Mississippi. 

Prior  to  the  introduction  of  camp-meetings  infidelity 
prevailed  generally  in  the  new  states  of  the  West,  the 
effect,  to  a  great  extent,  of  the  writings  of  Thomas  Paine, 
and  of  his  great  personal  influence  in  America  during 
the  recent  revolutionary  struggle.  Many  wise,  as  well 
as  devout  men,  who  witnessed  the  results  of  these  meet- 
ings, believed  that  they  were  a  providential  provision 
for  the  counteraction  of  the  deism  and  corruption 
which  seemed  to  threaten  with  utter  demoralization 
that  vast  country — the  seat  of  future  and  gigantic 
states — and  that  the  astonishing  physical  phenomena 
which  attended  them  were  a  necessary  means  of  ar- 
resting the  popular  attention.  The  "great  revival" 
which  followed,  and  which  swept  over  the  whole  val- 
ley of  the  Mississippi,  unquestionably  broke  down  the 
prevalent  deism,  and  opened  the  way  for  the  most  rapid 
religious  development  recorded  in  the  history  of  any 
modern  people. 

This  first  camp-meeting  in  Canada  appeared  to  Dr. 
Bangs  a  salient  fact  in  the  history  of  Canadian  Method- 
ism. He  therefore  made  particular  notes  respecting  it. 
They  show  that  the  confusion  incidental,  if  not  inevi- 
table to  such  occasions,  occurred,  but  also  that  "  it  was 

•    *  Autobiography  of  Peter  Cartwriglit,  page  48. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


151 


attended  by  extraordinary  displays  of  the  favor  and 
power  of  God." 

SCENES  IN  THE  CAMP. 

Its  announcement  beforehand  excited  great  interest  far 
and  near.  Whole  families  prepared  for  a  pilgrimage  to 
the  ground.  Processions  of  wagons  and  of  foot  passen- 
gers wended  along  the  highways.  With  two  of  his  fel- 
low-evangelists, our  itinerant  had  to  take  his  course  from 
a  remote  appointment  through  a  range  of  forest  thirty 
miles  in  extent.  They  hastened  forward,  conversing  on 
religious  themes,  praying  or  singing,  and  eager  with  ex- 
pectation of  the  moral  battle-scene  about  to  open.  They 
arrived  in  time  to  commence  the  meeting  on  the  27th  of 
September,  though  only  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
people  had  yet  reached  the  ground.  "The  exercises 
began  with  singing,  prayer,  and  a  short  sermon  on  the 
text  'Brethren,  pray.'  Several  exhortations  followed, 
and  after  an  intermission  of  about  twenty  minutes  another 
sermon  was  delivered  on  '  Christ,  our  wisdom,  righteous- 
ness, sanctification,  and  redemption.'  Some  lively  ex- 
hortations again  followed,  and  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
seemed  to  move  among  the  people.  After  an  interrup- 
tion of  an  hour  and  a  half  a  prayer-meeting  was  held, 
and  toward  its  close  the  power  of  God  descended 
on  the  assembly,  and  songs  of  victory  and  praise 
resounded  through  the  forest.  The  battle  thus  opened, 
the  exercises  continued  with  preaching,  exhorting, 
and  singing,  until  midnight,  when  the  people  retired 
to  their  booths.  The  night  was  clear  and  serene,  and 
the  scene  being  new  to  us,  a  peculiar  solemnity  rested 
upon  all  minds.  The  lights  glowing  among  the  trees 
and  above  the  tents,  and  the  voice  of  prayer  and  praise 
mingling  and  ascending  into  the  star-lit  night,  alto- 
gether inspired  the  heart  with  emotions  better  felt  than 
described.  During  this  day  six  persons  passed  from 
death  to  life. 


152 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OP 


"  At  five  o'clock  Saturday  morning  a  prayer-meeting 
was  held,  and  at  ten  o'clock  a  sermon  was  preached  on 
the  words,  'My  people  are  destroyed  for  lack  of  knowl- 
edge.' At  this  time  the  congregation  had  increased  to 
perhaps  twenty-five  hundred,  and  the  people  of  God 
were  seated  together  on  logs  near  the  stand,  while  a 
crowd  were  standing  in  a  semicircle  around  them. 
During  the  sermon  I  felt  an  unusual  sense  of  the  divine 
presence,  and  thought  I  could  see  a  cloud  of  divine 
glory  resting  upon  the  congregation.  The  circle  of 
spectators  unconsciously  fell  back,  step  by  step,  until 
quite  a  space  was  opened  between  them  and  those 
who  were  seated.  At  length  I  sprung  from  my  seat  to 
my  feet.  The  preacher  stopped  and  said,  'Take  it  and 
go  on.'  'No,'  I  replied,  'I  rise  not  to  preach.'  I  im- 
mediately descended  from  the  stand  among  the  hear- 
ers; the  rest  of  the  preachers  all  spontaneously  followed 
me,  and  we  went  among  the  people,  exhorting  the  im- 
penitent and  comforting  the  distressed  ;  for  while  Chris- 
tians were  filled  with  'joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory,' 
many  a  sinner  was  weeping  and  praying  in  the  surround- 
ing crowd.  These  we  collected  together  in  little  groups, 
and  exhorted  God's  people  to  join  in  prayer  for  them, 
and  not  to  leave  them  until  he  should  save  their  soids. 
O  what  a  scene  of  tears  and  prayer  was  this  !  I  suppose 
that  not  less  than  a  dozen  little  praying  circles  were  thus 
formed  in  the  course  of  a  few  minutes.  It  was  truly  af- 
fecting to  see  parents  weeping  over  their  children,  neigh- 
bors exhorting  their  unconverted  neighbors  to  repent, 
while  all,  old  and  young,  were  awe-struck.  The  wicked 
looked  on  with  silent  amazement  while  they  beheld  some 
of  their  companions  struck  down  by  the  mighty  power 
of  God,  and  heard  his  people  pray  for  them.  The 
mingled  voices  of  prayer  and  praise  were  heard  afar  off, 
and  produced  a  solemn  awe  apparently  upon  all  minds. 
As  the  sun  was  setting,  struck  by  the  grandeur  of  the 
spectacle  and  the  religious  interest  of  the  crowd,  a 


NATHAN  BAXGS,  D.D. 


153 


preacher  mounted  the  stand  and  proclaimed  for  his  text, 
'  Behold,  He  eometh  with  clouds,  and  every  eye  shall  sec 
Him.'  The  meeting  continued  all  night,  and  few,  I 
think,  slept  that  night.  During  this  time  some  forty 
persons  were  converted  or  sanctified. 

"  On  Sabhath  morning,  as  the  natural  sun  arose  in 
splendor,  darting  its  rays  through  the  forest,  we  pre- 
sented ourselves  before  its  Maker,  and  poured  out  our 
songs  of  thanksgiving  to  the  Lord  of  the  universe.  "We 
felt  that  our  early  sacrifice  was  accepted,  for  the  'Sun 
of  righteousness  '  shone  upon  our  souls  and  made  all 
within  us  rejoice.    We  could  sing  with  faith  : 

"'Xone  is  like  Jeshurun's  God, 

So  great,  so  strong,  so  high  I 
Lo  !  he  spreads  his  wings  abroad, 

He  rides  upon  the  sky  1 
Israel  is  his  first-born  son: 

God,  the  Almighty  God,  is  thine: 
See  him  to  thy  help  come  down, 

The  excellence  divine.' 

"After  breakfast,  a  host  being  now  on  the  ground,  we 
held  a  love-feast.  The  interest  and  excitement  were 
so  great  and  the  crowd  so  large  that  while  some  assem- 
bled around  the  stand,  a  preacher  mounted  a  wagon  at 
a  distance  and  addressed  a  separate  congregation.  The 
impression  of  the  Word  was  universal,  the  power  of  the 
Spirit  was  manifest  throughout  the  whole  encampment, 
and  almost  every  tent  was  a  scene  of  prayer.  At  noon 
the  Lord's  supper  was  administered  to  multitudes,  while 
other  multitudes  looked  on  with  astonishment  and  tears. 
After  the  sacrament,  a  young  woman,  of  fashionable  and 
high  position  in  society,  was  smitten  down,  and  with 
sobs  entreated  the  prayers  of  the  people.  Her  sister 
forced  her  away;  a  preacher  went  forth  without  the 
camp  and  led  them  both  back,  followed  by  quite  a  pro- 
cession of  their  friends  ;  a  circle  gathered  about  them 
and  sang  and  prayed.    The  unawakened  sister  was  soon 


154 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


upon  her  knees  praying  in  agony,  and  "was  first  cor. 
verted;  the  other  quickly  after  received  the  peace  of 
God,  and  they  wept  and  rejoiced  together.  A  back- 
slider, who  had  become  a  maniac,  and  was  in  despair, 
was  brought  to  the  camp.  His  symptoms  were  like 
those  of  the  New  Testament  demoniacs.  It  required 
the  strength  of  several  men  to  hold  him,  especially 
Avhile  prayer  was  offered  for  him.  We  first  besought 
God  for  Christ's  sake  to  restore  his  faculties,  which  was 
done.  He  then  earnestly  prayed  for  himself,  and  before 
the  meeting  closed  he  was  not  only  delivered  from 
despair,  but  filled  with  joy  and  peace  in  believing. 

"The  time  was  at  hand  at  last  for  the  conclusiou  of  the 
meeting.  The  last  night  was  the  most  awfully  impress- 
ive and  yet  delightful  scene  my  eyes  ever  beheld.  There 
was  not  a  cloud  on  the  sky.  The  stars  studded  the 
firmament,  and  the  glory  of  God  filled  the  camp.  All 
the  neighboring  forest  seemed  vocal  with  the  echoes  of 
hymns.  Turn  our  attention  whichever  way  we  could, 
we  heard  the  voice  of  prayer  or  praise.  As  it  was  the 
last  night,  every  moment  seemed  precious;  parents  were 
praying  for  their  children  or  children  for  their  parents, 
brothers  and  sisters  for  one  another,  neighbors  for  neigh- 
bors, all  anxious  that  before  they  left  the  consecrated 
ground  they  should  be  'sealed'  as  the  'heirs  of  sal- 
vation.' I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  the  parting 
scene,  for  it  was  indescribable.  The  preachers,  about  to 
disperse  to  their  distant  and  hard  fields  of  labor,  hung 
upon  each  other's  necks  weeping  and  yet  rejoicing. 
Christians  from  remote  settlements,  who  had  here  formed 
holy  friendships  which  they  expected  would  survive  :n 
heaven,  parted  probably  to  meet  no  more  on  earth,  but 
in  joyful  hope  of  reunion  above.  They  wept,  prayed, 
sang,  shouted  aloud,  and  had  at  last  to  break  away  from 
one  another  as  by  force.  As  the  hosts  marched  off  in 
different  directions  the  songs  of  victory  rolled  along  the 
highways.    Great  was  the  good  that  followed.    A  gen- 


NATHAN"  BANGS,  D.D. 


155 


eral  revival  of  religion  spread  around  the  circuits, 
especially  that  of  the  Bay  of  Quinte,  on  which  this 
meeting  was  held.  I  returned  to  Augusta  circuit  and 
renewed  my  labors,  somewhat  worn,  but  full  of  faith 
and  the  Holy  Ghost." 

The  hardy  inhabitants  of  the  frontier  could  well 
enough  endure  such  a  week  of  excitement,  of  broken 
rest,  and  incessant  preaching  and  praying ;  but  the  camp- 
meeting,  as  now  conducted  in  most  of  the  country,  has 
been  reduced  to  rigid  method.  It  has  its  own  code  and 
police,  and  proceeds  with  the  order  of  the  Jewish  Feast 
of  Tabernacles.  The  present  occasion,  though  one  of 
intense  excitement,  and  scarcely  intermitted  exercises, 
seems  not  to  have  been  attended  with  many  of  those 
physical  phenomena,  to  which  we  have  alluded,  as 
accompanying  such  meetings  in  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
Our  evangelist,  however,  relates,  with  some  reluctance, 
that  he  had  a  partial  example  of  them  in  his  own  per- 
son. At  midnight,  on  the  last  night,  while  an  indescrib- 
able sense  of  the  divine  presence  prevailed  throughout 
the  encampment,  he  stood  on  a  log  and  exhorted  the 
people  with  overwhelming  effect,  his  powerful  voice 
reverberating  over  the  ground  and  through  the  sur- 
rounding woods.  While  stretching  out  his  arms,  as  if 
to  bless  the  weeping  multitude,  they  stiffened  and 
remained  extended,  and  for  some  time  he  stood  thus 
addressing  the  hearers,  weeping  with  them  that  wept. 
He  was  at  last  led  to  a  tent,  but  with  still  extended 
arms.  The  strange  effect  continued  there,  but  did  not 
disturb  his  religious  joy.  "  I  was  continually  uttering 
praise ;  the  tent  was  soon  crowded,  and  at  a  single 
utterance  the  whole  group  fell  to  the  ground. 

"  '  O'erwhelmed  with  His  stupendous  grace 

They  did  not  in  His  presence  move : 
But  breathed  unutterable  praise 

In  rapturous  awe  and  silent  love.'  " 


156 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


His  arms  were  now  immediately  released.  His  first 
sensation  he  describes  as  not  painful  though  uncomforta- 
ble, "  a  prickling  sensation  over  the  whole  body,  like  that 
felt  when  a  limb  is  said  to  be  asleep ;  but  this  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  soft,  soothing  feeling,  as  if  I  were  anointed 
with  oil,  and  such  a  consciousness  of  the  presence  and 
peace  of  God  pervaded  me  as  I  cannot  describe." 

Such  phenomena  are  worth  recording  for  the  study 
of  both  theologians  and  physiologists. 

During  the  remainder  of  this  ecclesiastical  year  he 
pursued  his  circuit  labors  with  unabated  energy  and  suc- 
cess. On  the  27th  of  April,  1806,  he  "married  Mary 
Bolton,  of  the  town  of  Edwardsburgh,  Upper  Canada." 
During  the  remainder  of  his  long  career,  this  day  was 
one  of  the  most  grateful  reminiscences  of  his  Canada  life. 


v 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


157 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MINISTERIAL  LIFE  IN"  CANADA. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  he  departed  for  the  Conference, 
which  began  its  session  in  New  York  city,  on  the  16th 
of  May,  1806.  He  was  greeted  again  by  Garrettson, 
Cooper,  Ostrander,  Clark,  and  other  chief  members  as 
worthy  of  their  ranks  :  a  pioneer  hero  of  their  frontier 
fields.  lie  had  now  traveled  over  most,  if  not  all,  the 
settled  regions  of  Upper  Canada ;  he  had  continued  in 
that  hard  field  longer  than  most  of  his  fellow-laborers  ; 
and,  as  a  married  man,  was  entitled  by  usage  to  return 
to  the  states  and  take  a  more  convenient  appointment. 
But  his  fervid  spirit  longed  for  more  usefulness  in  the 
wilderness.  Lower  Canada  remained  yet  unexplored  by 
him,  and  he  offered  himself  to  Asbury  as  a  missionary  to 
any  accessible  part  of  it.  He  was  designated,  in  the  Min- 
utes, to  Quebec ;  but  the  nominal  appointments  of  that 
day,  especially  on  the  frontiers,  were  more  a  convenience 
of  the  Minutes  than  a  restriction  on  the  itinerant.  Even 
in  the  older  portions  of  the  Church,  the  term  of  service 
was  not  rigorously  measured  by  the  interval  bet  ween  the 
conference  sessions,  but  preachers,  sent  to  Baltimore, Phil- 
adelphia, New  York,  often,  after  six  months'  service  in 
one  city,  passed  to  another  by  exchanges  which  continued 
the  remainder  of  the  year.  He  knew  the  uncertainties  of 
his  new  field  ;  he  had  but  eighty  dollars  in  Ins  pocket,  had 
a  wife,  and  could  make  no  calculations  of  support  from 
the  people  to  whom  he  was  going.  Asbury,  however, 
was  then  the  general  almoner  of  the  denomination  ;  he 
collected  funds  in  his  long  routes,  and  distributed  them 
at  the  conferences  to  the  most  necessitous  laborers.  Many 


158 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


of  the  early  preachers  of  New  England  were  thus  relieved, 
and  the  Canada  itinerants  could  expect  similar  assistance. 
If  not  successful  in  Quebec,  he  could  pass  to  Montreal  or 
any  other  eligible  point  of  the  country.  In  fine,  he  pro- 
posed to  spend  one  year  more  at  least  in  the  British  pos- 
sessions, braving,  with  its  little  corps  of  pioneers,  the 
trials  of  their  new  work. 

EN  ROUTE. 

"  Before  I  left  New  York  city,"  he  writes,  "  I  was  at- 
tacked by  the  fever  and  ague,  but,  as  the  Conference  had 
closed,  I  concluded  to  go  on.  I  went  in  a  sloop  to  Tarry- 
town,  in  the  neighborhood  of  which  I  had  left  my  horse. 
I  had  not  been  long  on  the  dock  when  a  man  came  and 
inquired  for  a  sick  Methodist  preacher.  He  had  doubt- 
less heard  of  me.  I  found  him  to  be  John  B.  Matthias, 
then  a  local  preacher,  afterward  an  eminent  traveling 
minister.  He  took  me  to  his  home,  and  he  and  his  wife 
treated  me  with  all  the  tenderness  of  a  father  and  mother. 
My  fever  soon  left  me,  and  on  the  next  evening  I  preached 
with  much  liberty  and  consolation.  After  the  services, 
who  should  present  himself  *but  my  beloved  friend  and 
spiritual  father,  Joseph  Sawyer,  with  his  wife.  They 
gladdened  my  heart,  and  we  rejoiced  together  in  the 
fellowship  of  the  Gospel.  We  had  been  together  in  many 
a  severe  but  successful  battle  for  the  truth  in  Canada,  and 
it  was  pleasant  for  us  to  meet  at  this  distance,  and  talk 
over  our  trials  and  triumphs.  The  following  day  I  started 
on  my  way,  visiting  my  parents,  brothers,  and  sisters, 
with  whom  I  staid  a  few  days  and  preached  several  times. 
My  father  had  now  surmounted  his  old  prejudices,  and 
heard  me  gladly.  Taking  my  leave  again  of  them,  I 
hastened  on  toward  Canada,  designing  to  attend  a  camp- 
meeting  on  the  Augusta  circuit,  which  was  to  begin  on 
the  first  of  June.  I  arrived  there  on  the  evening  of 
its  commencement,  and  was  soon  surrounded  by  my  old 
friendb,  who  received  me  with  great  cordiality,  and  we 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


159 


had  a  blessed  meeting.  After  remaining  with  my  wife's 
father  about  two  weeks,  she  and  I  departed  in  a  boat 
for  Montreal.  The  voyage  down  the  St.  Lawrence  pre- 
sented many  picturesque  and  some  grand  scenes,  the 
mighty  river,  the  dashing  cataracts,  the  '  Thousand  Isles,' 
all  illuminated  With  the  brightness  of  spring,  refreshed 
our  minds,  burdened  with  anxiety  respecting  the  untried 
scenes  we  were  about  to  encounter.  We  reached  Mont- 
real, a  distance  of  a  hundred  and  forty  miles,  in  twenty- 
six  hours.  I  remained  there  preaching  till  the  26th  of 
August,  when,  leaving  my  wife  behind,  I  left  for  Quebec 
on  board  of  a  sloop. 

QUEBEC. 

"After  a  voyage  of  four  days,  I  arrived  at  this  old  city 
early  in  the  morning.  I  was  struck  with  its  magnificent 
site  and  its  strong  fortifications,  the  latter  dominating 
over  the  great  river  and  the  habitations  of  the  people, 
which  clung  to  the  sides  of  the  eminence.  It  looked 
hoary  with  age,  a  fact  rare  yet  in  America.  As  I 
entered  it  I  felt  lost,  as  in  a  desert.  I  was  totally  a 
stranger,  not  having  seen  a  solitary  being  that  belonged 
there,  nor  was  there  any  Methodist  society  or  class  to 
welcome  me.  Samuel  Merwin,  one  of  our  most  eloquent 
preachers,  had  visited  it  two  years  before,  but  left  it, 
despairing  of  success.  I  had  a  few  names  of  persons,  on 
whom  I  called  and  made  known  the  object  of  my  visit ; 
they  received  me  kindly,  and  assisted  me  to  obtain  a  place 
for  preaching,  though  I  had  to  do  much  of  this  prelim- 
inary work  myself.  As  I  arrived  on  Saturday  morning, 
I  was  desirous  to  begin  my  mission  on  Sabbath ;  I  be- 
stirred myself,  therefore,  and  on  the  next  morning  had  a 
tolerable  congregation,  and  preached  with  considerable 
liberty.  I  took  lodgings  with  a  friendly  man  by  the  name 
of  Gibson,  who  treated  me  with  much  kindness.  After 
preaching  a  few  times,  such  were  the  encouraging  signs 
that  I  hired  a  more  eligible  room  for  our  meetings,  and 


160 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


another  to  live  in,  and  in  about  four  weeks  sent  for  my 
wife,  who  soon  arrived  in  safety.  At  this  time  the  pros- 
pect was  quite  flattering,  the  congregation  was  large,  and 
several  persons  appeared  remarkably  friendly ;  but  little 
did  I  anticipate  what  was  before  me." 

TRIALS   AT  QUEBEC. 

His  congregation  soon  dwindled  away  to  half  a  dozen 
persons.  Curiosity  alone  had  prompted  the  first  numerous 
attendance.  His  eighty  dollars  were  at  last  expended. 
"It  seemed  impossible,"  he  says,  "for  me  to  bear  up 
under  my  trials.  I  could  endure  opposition,  and  had 
been  tested  in  this  respect;  but  to  see  no  result  of  my 
labors,  to  be  simply  let  alone  by  the  great  population 
around  me,  was  insupportable.  My  mind  at  times  sunk 
into  the  deepest  despondence.  My  only  relief  was  in 
prayer  and  preaching,  for  then  I  forgot  my  desolation. 
My  money  expended,  my  congregation  almost  anni- 
hilated, among  strangers,  and  fearing  the  cause  I  repre- 
sented would  be  disgraced  by  my  failure,  I  could  only 
hide  myself  in  God.  But  the  trial  did  me  good.  I 
learned  lessons  from  it  which  I  have  never  forgotten. 
The  keenest  suffering  of  my  forlorn  condition  was  that 
my  wife  had  to  endure  it  with  me ;  but  I  thank  God 
that  she  bore  it  better  than  I  did,  and  became  my  com- 
forter." 

Having  learned  the  French  language  from  her  mother, 
she  now  taught  it  to  him,  and  thereby  enabled  him  to 
converse  on  religious  subjects  with  the  French  inhabit- 
ants, who  after  gratifying  their  curiosity  had  deserted 
his  congregation.  He  found  some  relief  also  in  other 
studies,  having  access  to  the  library  of  a  Scotch  mission- 
ary, which  afforded  him  a  few  standard  books.  It  was 
no  unimportant  blessing  to  the  Church  as  well  as  to 
himself  that  this  season  of  trial  strengthened  those  habits 
of  self-improvement  which  afterward  raised  him  to  a 
prominent  literary  position  in  his  denomination,  and 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


161 


fitted  hira  to  be,  for  years,  the  chief  defender  of  its  doc- 
trines and  other  interests.  He  had  abundance  of  leisure, 
and  his  mental  sufferings  drove  him  to  books. 

Though  his  discouragements  continually  increased,  he 
was  not  willing  to  give  up  his  post  till  he  could  hold  it 
no  longer.  Even  when  seemingly  at  this  extremity,  he 
still  held  on.  "I  was  at  last  embarrassed,"  he  says, 
"to  meet  my  smallest  expenses.  Having  engaged  a 
man  to  saw  some  wood  that  I  had  procured  for  winter, 
now  setting  in  with  great  severity,  he  came  one  day  to 
complete  the  job  which  he  had  begun  before.  Having 
no  money  to  pay  him,  and  fearing  that  if  I  did  not  I 
should  bring  reproach  upon  my  profession,  I  requested 
my  wife,  who  could  speak  French  better  than  myself,  to 
inform  him  that  he  need  not  finish  his  work  that  day. 
He  replied  that  he  must,  as  he  could  not  come  again. 
'  What  shall  I  do  ?'  I  said  to  myself.  After  praying  for 
a  while  I  went  to  an  acquaintance,  and  told  him  I  had 
a  favor  to  ask  and  he  must  not  deny  me ;  he  must  lend 
me  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents,  and  if  ever  I  should  be 
able  I  would  return  it,  but  if  not,  he  must  wait  till  the 
resurrection  of  the  just  and  the  unjust.  Without  hesi- 
tation he  granted  my  request,  and  I  paid  the  laborer. 
At  another  time  I  was  under  the  necessity  of  borrowing 
a  shilling  to  pay  the  woman  who  brought  me  milk. 
The  weekly  collection  in  the  congregation  amounted  to 
about  one  dollar,  and  this  was  all  I  had  to  depend  upon 
for  support,  after  expending  all  my  own  money.  But 
behold  the  goodness  of  God  !  When  he  had  sufficiently 
humbled  me  to  depend  entirely  on  himself,  he  sent  me 
help  in  a  way  I  little  expected.  I  suppose  that  by  some 
means  information  of  my  reduced  condition  was  given 
to  some  benevolent  individuals,  who  now  ministered  to 
my  necessities,  and  that  too  in  a  manner  which  kept 
their  liberality  from  all  ostentation,  and  this  made  their 
gifts  the  more  welcome.  A  servant  would  arrive  with 
the  kind  respects  of  unknown  persons,  with  valuable 
11 


162 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


presents  of  food,  sugar,  or  tea,  and  sometimes  money, 
and  these  from  strangers  with  whom  I  never  became 
acquainted.  These  instances  of  kindness  so  overcame 
me  that  I  could  not  refrain  from  tears,  and  I  would 
retire  in  secret  and  pour  out  my  thanksgivings  to  God, 
and  pray  for  my  benefactors." 

AT  MONTREAL. 

He  remained  in  Quebec,  struggling  with  these  difficul- 
ties about  three  months,  when,  in  accordance  with  the 
itinerant  usage  of  the  times,  and  by  the  advice  of  his 
ministerial  brethren,  he  passed  up  the  river  to  Montreal, 
exchanging  for  the  remainder  of  the  year  with  Samuel 
Coate,  who  had  been  laboring  there  since  the  last  Con- 
ference. Besides  the  moral  lessons  he  had  learned,  and 
the  studies  which  his  leisure  had  allowed  him  to  prose- 
cute, he  had,  at  least,  opened  the  way  for  his  successor. 
He  had  secured  an  humble  place  of  worship,  and  left  a 
few  Methodists,  honest  mechanics,  to  welcome  Coate. 
The  latter,  by  his  advice,  "  advertised  "  his  arrival  and 
the  place  of  his  preaching ;  the  dwindled  congregation  soon 
began  to  increase,  and  Methodism  was  effectively  founded 
in  Quebec,  and  will  maintain  its  stand  there,  it  may  be 
hoped,  till  the  end  of  time. 

In  Montreal  he  labored  under  somewhat  more  cheer- 
ing auspices.  During  the  remainder  of  the  ecclesiastical 
year  he  had  incessant  work  and  gratifying  success. 

He  records  that  upon  a  calculation  of  his  receipts  and 
expenditures  for  the  year,  he  found  his  expenses  had 
been  about  forty  dollars  over  all  he  had  received.  "  I  did 
not  attend  the  next  Conference,  but  sent  my  accounts,  and 
the  preachers  remitted  to  me  about  two  hundred  and  forty 
dollars,  which  put  me  upon  my  legs  again,  as  I  was  not  in 
debt.  This  year  I  was  appointed  to  the  Niagara  circuit, 
about  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  home.  I  pur- 
chased a  horse  and  started  for  my  new  appointment,  but 
had  not  gone  over  ten  miles  when  I  met  the  presiding 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


163 


elder  of  the  Lower  Canada  District,  who  requested  me  to 
return  to  Montreal,  as  Bishop  Asbury  had  said,  when 
he  read  oft*  the  appointments,  that  the  presiding  elders 
might  arrange  it  as  they  saw  best.  After  deliberating 
a  while  I  consented  to  go,  and  leaving  my  wife  at  her 
father's  house,  I  embarked,  in  company  with  "William 
Snyder,  a  French  missionary  and  most  excellent  man, 
on  a  scow,  loaded  with  boards  and  flour,  and  sailed  down 
the  St.  Lawrence  again.  We  had  several  hairbreadth 
escapes  among  the  falls,  and  were  saved  only  by  all 
hands,  preachers  and  other  passengers,  working  with 
our  might.  I  hired  a  room  in  Montreal  and  sent  for  my 
wife,  and  we  both  pursued,  with  some  success  but  many 
difficulties,  our  pastoral  labors.  The  society  was  small 
and  poor,  and  I  had  to  grapple  with  many  embarrass- 
ments ;  but  God  supported  me  through  them  all,  and 
now,  half  a  century  later,  I  still  praise  him  for  his  good- 
ness to  me  then." 

He  had  now  been  about  seven  years  in  Canada  as  a 
traveling  preacher,  and  "had  visited,"  he  says,  "every 
city,  town,  and  village,  and  almost  every  settlement  in  it." 
It  was  thought,  both  by  himself  and  his  ministerial 
advisers,  that  the  time  had  come  for  his  return  to  the 
States.  He  had  done  faithfully  the  work  of  a  missionary 
evangelist;  he  had  endured  his  full  share  of  the  hard- 
ships of  the  frontier  ministry,  and  had  achieved  no  small 
success.  He  had  traversed  Upper  Canada  thundering,  a 
Boanerges,  through  its  forests  and  along  its  scattered 
settlements.  He  was  the  founder  of  Methodism  in  many 
of  its  localities  where  it  has  continued  to  flourish,  and 
where,  before  his  death,  it  had  become  the  dominant 
form  of  religion,  and  had  intrenched  itself  in  commodi- 
ous, in  some  instances,  in  stately  chapels.  He  may  be 
called  its  founder  in  Quebec  ;  for  Merwin  had  preceded 
him  in  that  city  only  as  a  casual  visitor,  and  after  a  few 
sermons,  had  left  it  without  success.  The  first  appear- 
ance of  its  name  in  the  printed  Minutes  was  in  counec- 


164 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


tion  with  his  own  name,  as  its  first  appointed  Methodist 
preacher,  and  it  never  ceased  to  appear  in  the  list  of 
appointments  till  transferred  to  the  Minutes  of  the 
"Wesleyan  Connection."  Canadian  Methodism  must 
ever  recognize  Nathan  Bangs  as  among  its  chief  found- 
ers, and  the  flourishing  Methodist  communities  of  Que- 
bec and  Montreal,  as  they  catch  the  glimpses  of  their 
incipient  history,  from  the  record  of  his  sufferings  and 
struggles,  may  well  exclaim,  "What  hath  God  wrought!" 

Methodism  has  achieved  marvels  of  success  in  Canada. 
"The  different  bodies  of  Methodists  make,  in  Upper 
Canada,  nearly  one  third  of  the  Protestant  population, 
and  very  nearly  one  fourth  of  the  entire  population ;  in 
United  Canada  the  Methodists  are  considerably  more 
than  one  fourth  of  the  whole  number  of  Protestants,  and 
more  than  one  seventh  of  the  total  population  of  Canada, 
East  and  West,  Protestant  and  Catholic.  The  Canada 
connection  supports  a  relatively  greater  number  of  min- 
isters than  do  the  British  Wesleyan  societies,  and  it  pays 
over  fifty  thousand  dollars  a  year  for  the  support  of  its 
missions."* 

*  Christian  Guardian,  (Canada.) 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


165 


CHAPTER  XII. 

HOME  AGAIN. 

In  the  latter  part  of  January,  1808,  he  visited  with  his 
wife  her  father's  house  in  Edwardstown,  Canada:  Pur- 
chasing there  a  sleigh  for  the  long  journey,  they  soon 
afterward  departed  for  the  states.  "  We  crossed,"  he 
writes,  "  the  St.  Lawrence  at  Ogdensburgh,  then  an  in- 
considerable village,  and  arrived  at  my  brother  Joseph's 
on  the  fourth  of  March.  I  rejoiced  to  find  my  father  and 
mother,  brothers  and  sisters,  well,  and  some  of  them 
happy  on  their  way  to  heaven.  I  spent  several  weeks  in 
visiting  my  friends  and  preaching  in  the  vicinity.  It 
was  refreshing  to  me  again  to  address  my  old  associates, 
and  I  was  received  by  them  with  increased  courtesy  and 
cordiality.  In  no  instance  was  I  badly  treated,  except 
once  on  the  west  branch  of  the  Delaware,  where,  after 
attending  a  quarterly  meeting  in  Delhi,  I  came  to  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  a  few  miles  above,  at  which 
an  appointment  had  been  given  out  for  me  ;  but  on  my 
arrival  I  found  the  church  closed  against  me.  As,  how- 
ever, the  people  had  assembled,  I  stood  in  a  wagon  and 
delivered  my  message;  some  opposers  attempting  mean- 
while to  drown  my  voice  by  ringing  the  bell,  a  useless 
attempt  against  any  itinerant  whose  voice  had  been  toned 
amid  the  storms  of  Canada. 

APPOINTED  IN  THE  STATES. 

"April  6,  the  New  York  Conference  met  in  the  town 
of  Amenta,  Dutchess  county,  New  York.  I  was  present, 
and  was  appointed  to  the  Delaware  circuit,  among  my 
old  acquaintances  j  my  father  and  mother,  and  most  of 


166 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


my  brothers  and  sisters,  were  still  residing  there.  This 
appointment,"  he  adds,  "  was  most  agreeable  to  me." 
It  seemed,  indeed,  like  a  grateful  rest  after,  if  not  a 
happy  conclusion  of,  his  itinerant  adventures  and  suffer- 
ings. But  work  was  the  true  rest  of  a  man  of  his  active 
nature.  He  felt  now  more  than  ever  inspired  with  the 
energetic  spirit  which  was  pervading  the  great  cause  to 
which  he  had  consecrated  his  young  manhood.  Method- 
ism was  breaking  out  like  a  flood  all  over  the  country. 
It  was  everywhere  forming  new  circuits,  erecting  chapels, 
rallying  preachers,  and  gathering  adherents.  Its  hosts 
of  communicants  had  grown  since  the  year  in  which  he 
began  to  preach,  from  eighty-six  thousand  to  more  than 
a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand.  Asbury,  and  most  of  its 
original  preachers,  still  remained,  leading  on  the  conquer- 
ing army.  Many  of  the  mightiest  men  then  in  the  Amer- 
ican pulpit  were  among  them:  William  M'Kendree,  Jesse 
Lee,  Peter  Cartwright,  Jacob  Young, Isaac  Quinn,Loviek 
Pierce,  Philip  Bruce,  John  Early,  Nelson  Reed,  Alfred 
Griffith,  Stephen  G.  Roszel,  Joshua  Wells,  Thomas  F. 
Sargent,  Enoch  George,  Jacob  Gruber,  Thornton  Flem- 
ing, Asa  Shinn,  Thomas  Ware,  Henry  Boehm,  Solomon 
Sharp,  Ezekiel  Cooper,  Phineas  Rice,  Daniel  Ostrander, 
Freeborn  Garrettson,  Laban  Clark,  Joseph  Sawyer,  Will- 
iam Case,  John  Broadhead,  Daniel  Webb,  Martin  Ruter, 
Epaphras  Kibby,  Samuel  Merwin,  George  Pickering, 
Elijah  Hedding,  Joshua  Soule — but  pages  could  not  con- 
tain all  the  names  of  similar  rank.  American  Protestant- 
ism had  never  seen  a  mightier  ministerial  corps  :  it  may 
perhaps  be  said  that  American  Methodism  has  never  since 
seen  a  mightier  one.  It  was,  however,  the  legitimate 
product  of  that  singular  ecclesiastical  system,  which,  con- 
ducted so  energetically  by  Asbury,  had  providentially 
arisen  to  match  the  moral  exigencies  of  the  New  World 
at  this  critical  period  in  our  national  history.  Five  of 
the  men  here  named  became  bishops,  and  it  may  be  so- 
berly affirmed  that  very  few  of  them  were  incompetent 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


167 


to  fill  with  dignity  and  effectiveness  that  high  function. 
Nathan  Bangs,  destined  to  take  equal  rank  with  them, 
intellectually  and  morally,  if  not  officially,  felt  as  hy  a 
moral  instinct  that  they  were  his  befitting  companions, 
that  their  work  should  be  his  work,  their  sufferings 
his  sufferings,  their  God  his  God.  They  seemed  to  chal- 
lenge him  forward ;  and  in  going  to  his  new  circuit, 
among  his  relations,  he  had  no  thought  of  rest  or  ease, 
much  less  of  a  permanent  home.  He  was  ready  to  go 
anywhere ;  but  the  paternal  indulgence  of  Asbury,  who 
loved  him  with  peculiar  affection,  induced  the  veteran 
bishop  to  give  him  and  his  young  wife  a  year's  comfort 
among  his  relations,  now  flourishing  farmers  in  that 
romantic  region.  Asbury  had  rallied  him,  humorously, 
before  the  whole  conference,  for  his  comparatively  early 
marriage,  then  a  rare  event  among  Methodist  itinerants ; 
but  excused  him  on  account  of  his  fine  appearance  and 
fine  character.  "  I  knew,"  said  the  bishoj),  shaking  his 
gray  locks,  "  I  knew  that  the  young  maidens  would  be 
all  after  him ;  but  as  he  has  conducted  the  matter  very 
well  let  his  character  pass." 

GENERAL  CONFERENCE. 

He  wished  to  know  more  of  these  good  and  great 
men,  from  most  of  whom  he  had  been  shut  out  by  his 
long  sojourn  in  the  wilderness.  An  occasion  was  at 
hand  on  which  he  could  see  them  in  their  most  important 
assembly,  the  General  Conference,  which  was  about  to 
meet  in  Baltimore,  and  was  to  be  memorable  by  the 
adoption  of  a  virtual  constitution  of  the  Church,  and  the 
organization  of  a  delegated  General  Conference,  as  its 
supreme  judicatory.  "Four  of  us,"  he  says,  "united, 
and,  hiring  a  two-horse  wagon,  traveled  together  as  far 
as  Dover,  Delaware,  where  we  left  our  horses  in  the  care 
of  ex-Governor  Bassett,  one  of  the  early  converts  to 
Methodism  in  that  state.  He  and  his  lady  entertained 
us  with  truly  Christian  hospitality,  both  being  deeply 


168 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


pious.  We  bold  meetings  in  their  neighborhood;  and 
I  was  particularly  interested  in  the  worship  of  the  ne- 
groes, which  I  here  witnessed  for  the  first  time.  These 
poor  people  seemed  ecstatic  in  their  gratitude  for  the 
Gospel  and  their  hope  of  a  better  life.  They  shouted 
and  '  leaped  for  joy they  heard  the  word  with  intense 
eagerness,  and  their  prayers  and  singing  were  full  of 
animation." 

He  found  Baltimore  to  be  a  sort  of  metropolis  of  Meth- 
odism. In  no  other  American  city  had  it  met  with  equal 
success ;  it  prevailed  among  all  classes,  high  and  low,  and 
seemed  to  retain  all  its  primeval  life.  But  he  was  struck 
especially  by  the  imposing  aspect  of  the  Conference.  A 
hundred  and  twenty-nine  preachers  composed  it,  most  of 
them  men  of  note  from  all  parts  of  the  country.  From 
the  east  were  Hedding,  Soule,  Pickering,  Ruter,  and  oth- 
ers ;  from  New  York  Conference,.  Garrettson,  Cooper, 
Crawford,  Thatcher,  Clark,  Ostrander  ;  from  Philadel- 
phia Conference,  Ware,  Everett,  Chandler,  M'Claskey, 
Boehm,  Bishop,  Budd,  Bartine  ;  from  Baltimore  Confer- 
ence, Reed,  Hitt,  Sargent,  Roszel,  Smith,  George,  Wells, 
Gruber,  Ryland,  Shinn,  Roberts  ;  from  Virginia  Confer- 
ence, Bruce,  Lee,  Mead ;  from  South  Carolina,  Randall, 
Phoebus,  Mills;  and  from  the  "Old  Western  Confer- 
ence," M'Kendree,  Lakin,  Blackman.  He  had  never  be- 
fore attended  a  General  Conference,  nor  seen  so  many 
representative  men  of  Methodism  together.  He  gazed 
upon  them  with  veneration.  "  It  was  refreshing,"  he 
says,  "to  become  acquainted  with  so  many  veteran 
preachers,  who  had  sounded  the  alarm  through  all  the 
land.  I  had  read  much  and  heard  much  of  their  pioneer 
labors,  but  here  they  were  before  me.  I  looked  upon 
them  with  emotions  which  I  cannot  describe.  Bishop 
Asbury  especially  impressed  me,  in  this  new  scene,  with 
a  sense  of  his  real  but  simple  greatness.  He  presided 
with  perfect  dignity,  and  diffused  among  the  preachers  a 
genuine  spirit  of  piety.' 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


169 


WESTERN  DELEGATES. 

The  western  preachers  especially  excited  bis  admira- 
tion ;  they  had  come  to  the  session  from  the  hardest 
field  of  the  Methodist  world,  except  the  borean  region  in 
which  he  himself  bad  been  toiling,  and  he  felt  a  fellow- 
sympathy  with  them.  They  belonged  to  the  "  Old  West- 
ern Conference,"  which  now  comprehended  the  whole 
western  country,  from  the  lakes  to  Natchez,  and  which 
had  lately  been  the  theater  of  extraordinary  religious 
triumphs,  of  immense  camp-meetings,  quarterly  meet- 
ings, revivals.  Every  one  of  its  districts  comprehends, 
in  our  day,  several  conferences.  One  of  its  circuits,  at 
that  date,  bears  the  significant  title  of  "Illinois,"  with 
a  solitary  preacher,  Jesse  Clingan  ;  another  the  name 
of  "  Missouri,"  where  John  Walker  was  founding  the 
denomination.  One  of  its  "districts,"  traveled  by  John 
Sale,  is  entitled  "  Ohio ;"  another,  under  William  Burke, 
bears  the  name  of  "  Kentucky ;"  another,  under  Jacob 
Young,  is  called  "Mississippi."  It  was  a  field  for  giants; 
and  "there  were  giants  in  those  days"  among  its  Meth- 
odist itinerants.  Its  representatives  appeared  in  the  con- 
ference like  war-worn  heroes.  They  were  distinguished 
also  by  their  poor  attire,  made  of  rude  homespun  cloth. 
William  M'Kendree  was  their  leader.  After  extraordi- 
ary  labors  and  successes  in  Virginia  and  Baltimore  Con- 
ferences, he  had  been  selected  by  Bishops  Asbury  and 
Whatcoat  to  superintend  the  "Western  District,"  which 
then  comprised  the  whole  of  what  was  afterward  the 
"  Western  Conference."  He  traversed  this  vast  district 
at  the  rate  of  fifteen  hundred  miles  quarterly,  six  thousand 
miles  annually,  preaching  almost  daily,  and  conducting 
camp-meetings  and  quarterly  meetings  which,  attended  by 
thousands,  sometimes  tens  of  thousands,  of  settlers,  were 
like  battle-fields.  He  was  now  known  throughout  the  West 
as  its  Methodistic  champion,  but  was  still  unknown  to  Na- 
than Bangs,  and  but  slightly  known  in  the  North  generally. 


170 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


M'KEXDREE  preaching. 

The  Conference  began  on  Friday.  Sunday  was  a  great 
day,  and  the  old  "Light-street  Chapel"  was  the  center 
of  its  interest — the  cathedral  of  the  occasion  and  of  the 
denomination.  "It  was  filled,"  says  the  manuscript 
before  me,  "  to  overflowing ;  the  second  gallery,  at  one 
end  of  the  chapel,  was  crowded  with  colored  people.  I 
saw  the  preacher  of  the  morning  enter  the  pulpit,  sun- 
burnt, and  dressed  in  very  ordinary  clothes,  with  a  red 
flannel  shirt,  which  showed  a  large  space  between  his 
vest  and  small  clothes.  He  appeared  more  like  a  poor 
backwoodsman  than  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel.  I  felt 
mortified  that  such  a  looking  man  should  have  been  ap- 
pointed to  preach  on  such  an  imposing  occasion.  In  his 
prayer  he  seemed  to  lack  words,  and  even  stammered. 
I  became  uneasy  for  the  honor  of  the  Conference  and  the 
Church.  He  gave  out  his  text :  "  For  the  hurt  of  the 
daughter  of  my  people  am  I  hurt ;  I  am  black  ;  astonish- 
ment hath  taken  hold  on  me.  Is  there  no  balm  in  Gilead  ? 
is  there  no  physician  there?  why  then  is  not  the 
health  of  the  daughter  of  my  people  recovered  ?"  As 
the  preacher  advanced  in  his  discourse  a  mysterious  mag- 
netism seemed  to  emanate  from  him  to  all  parts  of  the 
house ;  he  was  absorbed  in  the  interest  of  his  subject ; 
his  voice  rose  gradually  till  it  sounded  like  a  trumpet ; 
at  a  climactic  passage  the  effect  was  overwhelming. 
"It  thrilled,"  says  the  manuscript,  "through  the  as- 
sembly like  an  electric  shock ;"  the  house  rang  with  ir- 
repressible responses ;  "  many  hearers  fell  prostrate  to 
the  floor.  An  athletic  man,  sitting  by  my  side,  fell  as  if 
shot  by  a  cannon  ball.  I  felt  my  own  heart  melting, 
and  feared  that  I  should  also  fall  from  my  seat.  Such  an 
astonishing  effect — so  sudden  and  overpowering — I  sel- 
dom or  never  saw  before." 

This  "backwoodsman"  was  William  M'Kendree. 
Nathan  Bangs  now  knew  him,  and  saw,  as  he  says,  in 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


171 


bis  History  of  the  Church,  "a  halo  of  glory"  around  his 
head.  It  had  been  determined  that  a  bishop  should  be 
elected  at  the  Conference  to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned 
by  the  death  of  Whatcoat.  The  piety,  wisdom,  and  suc- 
cessful labors  of  M'Kendree  had  already  directed  atten- 
tion to  him  as  the  man  for  the  place.  "  That  sermon," 
said  Asbury,  "  on  Sunday  morning,  will  decide  his  elec- 
tion." On  the  next  Thursday  he  was  declared  a  bishop 
by  ninety-five  votes,  the  other  ballots  being  divided  be- 
tween Jesse  Lee,  the  founder  of  Methodism  in  New  En- 
gland, and  Ezekiel  Cooper,  who  was  considered  the  best 
trained  intellect  in  the  Conference. 

DELEGATED  GENERAL  CONFERENCE. 

Hitherto  all  traveling  elders  of  the  ministry  had  a 
right  to  attend  the  General  Conference,  and  the  body 
was  unrestricted  in  its  power  to  enact  new  rules  of  dis- 
cipline and  even  new  tenets  of  faith.  The  rapid  growth 
of  the  Church  rendered  it  necessary  that  it  should  be  re- 
organized on  a  representative  basis.  Asbury  had  advo- 
cated such  an  arrangement  for  some  time.  The  New 
York  Conference  brought  the  proposition  before  this 
session  by  a  long  memorial  which  had  been  approved  by 
the  New  England,  the  Western,  and  the  South  Carolina 
Conferences.  "  When  the  plan  was  first  presented,"  says 
our  manuscript,  "  it  encountered  great  opposition,  and 
was  rejected  by  a  majority  vote.  I  suppose  some  voted 
against  it  from  a  fear  that,  if  adopted,  they  could  never 
attend  another  General  Conference,  and  others  were 
jealous  of  their  rights,  fearing  to  intrust  the  affairs  of 
the  Church  to  so  few  hands  ;  while  some  opposed  it  from 
opposition  to  Bishop  Asbury,  with  whom  it  was  a  favor- 
ite measure,  for,  notwithstanding  his  great  merits,  he 
had  his  enemies.  Toward  the  close  of  the  Conference, 
however,  it  was  reported  by  a  committee  in  a  somewhat 
modified  form,  and  adopted  almost  unanimously,  and  it 
has  remained  ever  since  the  Constitution  of  the  Church. 


172 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


That  it  has  been  a  means  of  preserving  our  doctrines  and 
fundamental  system  I  have  no  doubt,  for  had  it  not  been 
adopted,  with  its  Restrictive  Rules,  our  doctrine, '  General 
Rules,'  and  episcopal  government,  together  with  the  itin- 
erancy, would  have  been  liable  to  modifications  which 
might  have  been  fatal."  The  "Restrictive  Rules,"  which 
form  the  basis  of  this  reorganization,  are  virtually  the 
constitution  of  the  denomination.  They  render  impos- 
sible any  change  of  the  Articles  of  Religion ;  and  allow  no 
change  of  the  General  Rules,  and  no  act  doing  away 
the  episcopal  government  of  the  Church  or  its  itinerant 
ministry,  except  by  a  majority  of  two  thirds  of  the  Gen- 
eral Conference,  with  a  concurrent  majority  of  three 
fourths  of  the  members  of  the  annual  conferences.  A 
measure  often  suggested  in  later  times  was  proposed  at 
this  session  by  John  M'Claskey  and  Ezekiel  Cooper — 
the  election  of  a  bishop  for  each  Annual  Conference  as  a 
substitute  for  the  presiding  eldership,  with  Bishop  As- 
bury  as  general  superintendent.  "It  was  largely  and 
ably  discussed,"  says  Dr.  Bangs,  "  by  some  of  the  lead- 
ing members  of  the  Conference,  on  each  side."  There 
must  have  been  a  considerable  party  in  favor  of  it  at 
first,  for  when  M'Claskey  and  Cooper  proposed  to  with- 
draw their  motion  for  it  a  majority  refused  their  re- 
quest.   But  after  much  discussion  it  was  defeated. 

on  ms  CIKGUIT. 
It  was  ever  afterward  a  grateful  recollection  to  Dr. 
Bangs  that  he  had  been  a  member  of  this  session  of  the 
General  Conference,  second  only  in  importance  to  the 
memorable  Christmas  Conference,  at  which  the  Church 
was  organized.  "  It  concluded,"  he  says,  " '  in  peace,'  and 
its  members  dispersed  to  the  east,  the  north,  the  west, 
and  the  south,  with  renewed  confidence  in  the  destiny 
of  their  growing  cause."  He  returned  to  Stamford, 
N.  Y.,  "  where,"  he  says,  "  I  had  left,  at  my  brother 
Joseph's,  my  wife,  and  which  was  included  in  the  Dela- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


173 


ware  circuit,  to  which  I  had  been  appointed  this  year. 
When  I  left  Canada  my  health  was  much  impaired  by 
my  sufferings  from  various  hardships  and  sickness.  Hav- 
ing now  to  travel  among  the  mountains  in  this  rough 
part  of  the  country,  in  a  bracing  atmosphere,  with  good 
water  and  plenty  of  wholesome  food,  and  among  the 
friends  of  my  youth,  my  health  began  to  improve,  and  I 
felt  the  vigor  of  manhood  return.  My  circuit  was  large, 
being  upward  of  a  hundred  miles  around,  and  having 
more  than  thirty  appointments  in  four  weeks.  I  deem  it 
a  duty  to  bear  testimony  to  the  kindness  of  my  brother 
Joseph,  who  treated  me  and  my  wife  with  great  hos- 
pitality. The  people,  however,  were  slack  in  providing 
for  their  preachers,  and  yet  exacting  in  their  demands 
upon  our  labors.  I  planned  the  circuit  so  as  to  save 
three  days  in  four  weeks  to  be  at  home;  but  even  this 
brief  leisure  was  opposed,  and  occasioned  me  some  dis- 
paragement. 

"  Nothing  out  of  the  common  routine  of  the  labors  of 
a  four  weeks'  circuit  happened  this  year  except  a  camp- 
meeting  in  the  town  of  Kortright,  at  which  the  Lord 
was  eminently  present,  and  another  in  Benham,  where  I 
preached  twice  with  lively  satisfaction.  At  the  latter, 
among  others  who  were  present  from  a  distance  were 
the  Rev.  Freeborn  Garrettson,  his  wife  and  daugh- 
ter, with  whom  I  again  held  sweet  counsel.  On  the 
Delaware  circuit  I  remained  one  year,  and  the  Lord  gave 
us  some  refreshing  seasons  of  grace." 

CHARACTER  AS  A  PREACITER. 

His  brother, Rev. Ileman  Bangs,  writes  to  me:  "I  joined 
the  Church  when  he  was  on  our  (the  Delaware)  circuit, 
in  1 808 ;  he  was  esteemed  a  powerful  preacher.  I  re- 
member that  at  a  quarterly  meeting,  after  the  presiding 
elder  had  preached,  he  rose  and  began  to  exhort;  in  a 
few  minutes  the  power  of  his  word  was  like  an  electrical 
shock,  and  the  whole  assembly  rose  simultaneously  to 


174 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


their  feet.  He  had  a  notion  that  it  was  my  duty  to 
preach,  and  wrote  me  a  long  letter  about  it,  especially 
cautioning  me  not  to  marry,  as  that  would  interfere  with 
the  itinerant  work.  I  was  fearful  myself  that  I  should 
have  to  preach,  but  determined  not  to  do  so  if  I  could 
avoid  it  and  yet  save  my  soul.  I  was  willing  to  be  a 
local  preacher,  but  not  an  itinerant.  I  drew  the  infer- 
ence from  his  letter,  that  a  wife  would  be  a  sure  barrier 
to  the  traveling  ministry ;  so  I  determined  to  marry  as 
soon  as  I  could,  and  did  take  a  wife  three  months  after  I 
was  twenty-one  years  old.  His  letter  so  vexed  me  that 
I  would  not  read  it  a  second  time  for  a  long  while,  and 
yet  I  thought  so  much  of  it  that  I  kept  it  for  fifty  years ; 
but  it  is  now  mislaid ;  I  cannot  put  my  hand  upon  it. 
Nathan  and  myself  have  ever  lived  in  sweet  fellowship ;  in- 
dependent in  our  own  opinions,  we  often  differed,  but  never 
quarreled  ;  he  afforded  me  many  profitable  reflections  by 
judicious  criticisms  when  I  was  young  in  the  ministry." 
His  life-long  friend,  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Luckey,  became  ac- 
quainted with  him  on  this  circuit,  and  describes  him  as 
then  a  man  of  mark  among  his  brethren — not  an  elocution- 
ist, not  equal  to  others  in  rhetorical  or  oratorical  attractions 
in  the  pulpit,  but  pre-eminent  for  the  vigor  and  breadth  of 
his  mind  and  the  intellectual  power  of  his  preaching.  "  It 
showed,  to  the  more  discriminating  portion  of  his  hearers, 
a  peculiarity  in  the  character  of  the  preacher's  mind,  by 
which  he  was  distinguished  from  all  others  about  him, 
and  indicated  eminence  in  his  work  as  a  minister.  His 
mind  was  evidently  accustomed  to  elaborate  thought. 
His  mode  of  preaching  was  scarcely  known  among  Meth- 
odist preachers  before  his  day,  and  was,  in  the  estima- 
tion of  his  best  hearers,  an  indication  of  that  originality  and 
independence  of  mind,  which,  in  a  young  man,  promises 
distinction.  And  there  was  a  something  about  him — a 
moral  and  mental  superiority — which  impressed  all  observ- 
ers that  he  was  to  be  a  prince  and  a  great  man  in  Israel." 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


175 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

ITINERANT  LIFE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

He  attended  the  Conference  of  1809,  held  in  the  city 
of  New  York  early  in  May.  The  year  had  been  one  of 
success  in  most  of  its  territory.  The  returns  of  commu- 
nicants showed  a  gain  of  nearly  five  thousand.  The 
ministry  had  also  been  effectively  recruited.  It  now 
admitted  "on  trial"  ten  laborers,  among  whom  were 
Coles  Carpenter,  Marvin  Richardson,  Isaac  Puffer, 
Bela  Smith,  and  other  well-known  itinerants  ;  while  Phin- 
eas  Rice,  Lewis  Pease,  and  ten  other  candidates,  many 
of  whom  became  veterans,  were  admitted  to  "full  mem- 
bership." Nathan  Bangs  was  appointed  to  the  Albany 
circuit.  "  I  feel  it  a  duty,"  he  writes,  "  to  bear  testimo- 
ny to  the  kindness  of  the  people  on  this  circuit  to  me 
and  mine.  I  labored  among  them  with  much  satisfac- 
tion, and  left  them  with  much  regret."  He  was  now  in 
the  vigor  of  his  early  manhood  ;  he  had  found  some  leis- 
ure for  study  amid  his  abundant  labors,  and  his  intelli- 
gence and  native  intellectual  force  gave  him  rank  among 
the  foremost  men  of  his  Conference.  Many  are  the  recol- 
lections of  his  powerful  preaching  among  the  aged 
members  of  the  Church  who  still  linger  within  the  lim- 
its of  the  old  Albany  circuit. 

CONTROVERSY. 

His  congregations  were  large ;  but  the  effect  of  his 
labors  did  not  correspond  at  first  with  their  diligence 
and  energy.  He  consulted  with  his  colleague,  Isaac  B. 
Smith,  respecting  the  causes  of  their  comparative  failure. 
They  both  attributed  it  chiefly  to  the  prevalent  influence 


176 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


of  Calviuistic  doctrines.  Whether  legitimately  or  not, 
the  popular  inference  from  the  tenet  of  predestination 
was  that  the  final  fate  of  souls  is  a  fixed  fact,  unalterable 
by  human  volition  ;  that  only  when  an  "  effectual  call " 
is  given  from  heaven  can  the  sinner  repent ;  that  it  is 
useless  to  try  to  anticipate  this  call ;  it  will  come  to  the 
elect  in  "God's  good  time;"  it  will  never  come  to  the 
reprobate:  that  summarily  the  man  who  is  predestined 
to  be  saved  shall  be  saved,  whether  heedful  or  heedless 
of  passing  warnings,  and  he  that  is  predestined  to  be 
lost  can  by  no  endeavors  avert  his  doom.  The  most 
powerful  preaching  seemed  neutralized,  to  a  great  extent, 
by  these  opinions.  The  two  itinerants  concluded  that 
they  "should  have  no  revival  of  religion  unless  they 
could  break  up  these  pernicious  prejudices."  "  We  im- 
mediately began,"  he  adds,  "  to  state  and  enforce  our 
distinctive  doctrines— general  redemption,  the  condition- 
ally of  salvation — both  in  respect  to  its  present  experi- 
ence and  its  final  retention ;  the  witness  of  the  Spirit, 
sanctification,  or  holiness  of  heart  and  life ;  and  we  ex- 
posed, meanwhile,  the  error  and  danger  of  the  contrary 
tenets."  Though  opposition  was  provoked  by  this 
course,  it  tended  to  "awaken  and  excite  attention; 
many  began  to  search  the  Scriptures  to  see  if  these 
things  were  so.  The  spell  of  lethargy  was  broken,  and 
the  result  was  a  general  revival,  particularly  in  the  town 
of  Durham,  where  my  family  lived."  Even  his  opponents 
reaped  advantage  from  his  measures.  The  Presbyterians 
of  that  town  shared  largely  in  the  fruits  of  the  new 
interest.  Nearly  all  evangelical  Churches  were  recruited. 
Liberal  Calvinists  might  indeed  gratefully  admit  that  if 
he  had  not  refuted  their  creed,  he  had  refuted  perilous 
perversions  of  it,  and  prepared  the  people  for  better 
influences  from  their  ministrations. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  Conference  year,  however,  he 
found  himself  beset  by  clerical  opposition,  and  the  Cal- 
vinists of  Durham  challenged  him  to  a  public  contro- 


NATHAN  13ANGS,  D.l). 


177 


versy,  their  pastor  opening  his  own  church  for  the  pur- 
pose. "  It  might  perhaps  be  supposed,"  writes  the  itiner- 
ant, "that  I  took  delight  in  disputation.  Far  from  it;  I 
was  led  into  this  controversy  against  my  inclinations  ;  but 
in  those  times  we  were  peculiarly  situated  ;  the  Calvinistic 
doctrines  held  yet  an  unloosened  and  almost  universal 
hold  on  the  popular  mind  in  many  parts  of  the  country. 
We  were  compelled  to  be  polemics  at  times,  however 
■we  might  prefer  to  go  on  our  usual  course  of  preaching 
the  common  truths  of  religion.  We  found  a  great  diffi- 
culty in  exciting  the  people  who  were  under  the  influence 
of  these  errors  to  '  seek  the  Lord  while  he  may  be 
found.'  I  could  not,  therefore,  as  I  thought,  and  still 
think,  avoid  this  public  debate  without  a  dereliction  of 
duty.  That  God's  blessing  might  accompany  it  I  ap- 
pointed a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  in  all  the  Societies 
of  the  circuit,  and  I  believe  that  very  good  effects  fol- 
lowed the  discussion." 

His  early  friend,  Rev.  Samuel  Luckey,  D.D.,  who  wit- 
nessed the  debate,  thus  writes  to  me  respecting  it : 
"  The  force  of  circumstances,  on  the  Albany  circuit, 
brought  him  into  public  notice  in  the  character  (as  a 
controversialist  and  an  author)  for  which  he  was  after- 
ward so  eminently  distinguished.  His  active  mind, 
trained  by  habits  of  study  and  reflection,  prompted  him 
to  commence  the  use  of  his  pen  as  a  means  of  becoming 
more  useful  to  the  Church  and  five  world.  When  he 
traveled  Albany  circuit  he  carried  with  him  his  port- 
folio and  writing  apparatus,  and  wherever  he  could  get  a 
retired  room  employed  his  leisiu-e  hours  in  writing.  He 
commenced  a  work  on  Christian  Theology,  and  had,  it 
is  believed,  made  considerable  progress  in  it  when  he 
came  to  this  circuit.  These  facts  are  mentioned  to  show 
that  he  gave  early  indications  of  an  aspiring  and  vigor- 
ous intellect,  which  foretokened  his  future  eminence. 
But  circumstances  on  this  circuit  called  him  out  as  a 
champion  for  the  faith  he  professed,  and  gave  a  direction 
12 


i78 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


to  the  exercise  of  his  talents,  as  a  preacher  and  writer, 
which  marked  his  course  through  all  his  subsequent 
life.  Durham,  where  his  family  resided,  was  settled 
principally  by  emigrants  from  New  England,  as  was  that 
entire  section  of  the  circuit,  embracing  Granville  and 
extending  to  Catskill.  The  people  inhabiting  this  sec- 
tion had  been  trained  up  in  the  faith  and  practice  of  the 
New  England  Churches,  and  had  Churches  and  ministers 
among  them  of  the  same  faith  and  order.  Out  of  this 
class  were  raised  the  Methodist  societies  in  these  locali- 
ties. Many  of  those  who  connected  themselves  with  the 
Methodists  were  men  of  talents  and  education,  who  had 
separated  themselves  from  their  former  religious  associa- 
tions on  the  ground  of  doctrine,  purely.  They  rejected 
Calvinism,  as  taught  in  the  Confession  of  Faith  adopted 
by  the  Congregational  Churches,  with  an  opposition 
bordering  on  abhorrence ;  and  on  this  issue  the  parties 
were  in  habitual  array  against  each  other.  There  was 
no  end  to  the  controversies  and  disputations  among  them. 
The  preachers  would  belabor  each  other's  doctrines,  and 
vindicate  their  own,  in  their  sermons  ;  and  the  people  suf- 
fered no  opportunity  to  pass  of  disputing  and  contending 
with  each  other  on  the  points  of  difference  between  them. 
It  was,  in  fact,  an  age  of  religious  contention  ;  and  the 
matter  was  complicated  by  the  modification  of  Calvinism 
by  Hopkinsianism,  which,  it  was  claimed  by  the  advo- 
cates of  Calvinism,  sufficiently  explained  the  most  objec- 
tionable points  in  their  creed,  while  those  who  dissented 
from  them  could  not  see  it  in  that  light. 

"In  this  state  of  things  Mr.  Bangs  disappointed  the 
expectation  of  his  frieuds  in  not  following  the  usual 
course  of  the  preachers  on  both  sides,  of  making  the 
controversy  on  doctrine  the  principal  subject  of  his 
preaching  among  them.  In  the  pulpit  he  preached  the 
Gospel  as  he  understood  it,  in  a  style  and  manner  calcu- 
lated to  hold  the  minds  of  his  hearers  to  the  great  funda- 
mental principles  of  evangelical  religion.    But  the  contro- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  JD.D. 


179 


versy  to  which  the  minds  of  all  were  alive  he  seldom  intro- 
duced or  alluded  to.  No  one  expected  to  hear  the  doctrin- 
al controversy  which  so  much  agitated  the  minds  of  the 
people  in  that  section  particularly  discussed  when  they 
wenl  t  o  hear  him  preach.  But,  though  not  dealing  with  it 
in  this  way,  he  was  not  indifferent  to  the  subject  of  the 
controversy,  nor  unwilling  to  enter  the  arena,  in  a  man- 
ner suited  to  his  views,  in  vindication  of  the  doctrines 
and  usages  of  Methodism  against  all  opposition.  He 
accordingly  consented,  at  the  solicitation  of  zealous  par- 
tisans, to  hold  a  public  debate  with  such  a  person  as 
might  be  chosen  for  that  purpose,  on  the  points  of  dif- 
ference between  the  Calvinists  and  Methodists.  A  Rev. 
Mr.  Benedict,  an  eminent  Congregational  minister  from 
New  England,  who  had  been  educated  a  lawyer,  and 
had  the  reputation  of  being  a  strong  man  and  able  de- 
bater, was  selected  for  the  opposite  side.  The  debate 
was  held  in  the  Congregational  Church  in  Durham, 
which  was  within  a  few  rods  of  the  Methodist  Church 
and  of  Mr.  Bangs's  residence.  The  preliminaries  pro- 
vided that  the  debate  should  cover  the  whole  ground  of 
controversy,  contained  in  what  are  usually  called  '  The 
Five  Points,'  each  to  be  discussed  separately,  in  order, 
giving  a  certain  time  to  either  disputant,  in  turn,  to  state 
his  points  and  his  argument.  Rev.  Henry  Stead,  presid- 
ing elder  of  the  district,  and  a  Dr.  Hotchkiss,  pastor  of 
the  Congregational  Church  in  Granville,  (if  my  recol- 
lection serves  me,)  were  appointed  to  preside  over  the 
meeting ;  and  the  Rev.  Hugh  Armstrong,  of  the  Method- 
ist Church,  and  another  young  gentleman,  whose  name 
is  forgotten,  were  employed  to  take  notes,  to  which 
appeal  might  be  made,  in  case  of  dispute  or  misunder- 
standing, as  to  the  arguments  or  expressions  of  either  of 
the  parties.  The  debate  was  conducted  with  great  abil- 
ity, and  in  a  spirit  of  candor  and  kindly  feeling,  which 
left  all  parties  wiser  in  many  things  that  they  thought 
they  understood  perfectly  before,  and  better  disposed  in 


180 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


their  feelings  toward  each  other.  Such  at  least  is  the 
impression  of  the  writer  respecting  Dr.  Bangs  at  the 
time  of  his  traveling  Albany  circuit,  and  of  the  noted 
debate  he  had  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Benedict,  at  which  he 
was  present.  These  incidents  in  the  early  history  of  Dr. 
Bangs's  ministry  are  chiefly  important  as  having  given 
direction  to  the  future  employment  of  his  talents  in  the 
cause  of  truth  and  righteousness,  which  has  procured  for 
him  a  name  and  reputation  that  will  live  in  the  annals  of 
Methodism  and  the  history  of  the  Church  in  all  com- 
ing time." 

FIRST  APPEARANCE  AS  AUTHOR. 

This  year  was  also  memorable  to  him  as  that  in  which 
he  first  appeared  before  the  public  as  an  author.  A 
preacher  of  the  sect  of  "  Christians  "  *  published  a  small 
book  denying  the  divinity  of  Christ  and  other  funda- 
mental truths  of  Christianity.  It  was  a  publication  of 
no  literary  or  theological  ability,  but,  being  circulated 
among  the  common  people,  was  doing  mischief  that  the 
itinerant,  in  his  rapid  travels  and  brief  presence,  in  any 
one  place  could  not  correct.  He  therefore  issued  a  pam- 
phlet in  reply  to  it.  "  This,"  he  says,  "  being  my  first 
effort  through  the  press,  it  was  made  with  fear  and 
trembling ;  but  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  it  did  good, 
as  the  heterodox  pamphlet  and  its  author  soon  disap- 
peared. From  being  a  doubter  he  afterward  became 
a  fanatic.  He  even  believed  at  last  that  he  could  raise 
the  dead,  and  actually  attempted  to  do  so  in  one  instance; 
but  not  succeeding,  he  explained  his  failure  by  assuming 
that  the  subject  of  any  such  miracle  must  be  one  who 
has  not  died  of  organic  disease.    What  infatuation  !  " 

*  A  New  England  sect,  ■which,  while  denying  some  of  the  most  fun- 
damental truths  of  Christianity,  appropriated  the  title  as  its  denomina- 
tional style—"  Christians  with  a  long  I,"  as  George  Pickering,  a  New 
England  Methodist  patriarch,  sarcastically  characterized  them. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


181 


NEW  YORK  CONFERENCE,  1810. 

The  New  York  Conference  for  1810  began  on  the  20th 
of  May  in  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  for  it  still  included  much  of 
the  west  of  that  state,  as  of  Connecticut  and  Vermont, 
and  also  all  the  Canadas,  though  at  the  present  session 
Upper  Canada  was  detached  from  it  and  assigned  to  the 
Genesee  Conference,  which  now  for  the  first  time  ap- 
peared in  the  Minutes.  A  large  portion  of  the  territory 
of  the  Conference  within  the  state  of  New  York  was 
also  incorporated  with  this  new  Conference,  so  that  the 
returns  of  members  were  materially  reduced ;  but  the  de*- 
nomination  was  rapidly  advancing  in  all  this  territory. 
It  received  on  trial  fourteen  young  preachers,  among 
whom  were  Tobias  Spicer,  Arnold  Scolefield,  Noah  Bige- 
low,  Abner  Chase,  and  others  who  were  afterward  well 
known  in  the  Church.  It  now  comprised  at  least  eighty 
itinerants.  It  was  divided  into  five  districts,  some  of 
which  include  in  our  day  several  large  and  flourishing 
Conferences.  Joseph  Crawford  superintended  the  New 
York  district,  with  such  men  as  Peter  P.  Sandford,  B. 
Hibbard,  Ezekiel  Canfield,  Coles  Carpenter,  and  William 
Thatcher  under  him.  Aaron  Hunt  led  on  a  powerful  corps 
of  laborers  on  the  Rhinebeck  district,  among  whom  were 
Elijah  Woolsey,  Peter  Moriarty,  Seth  Crowell,Phinehas 
Cook,  Marvin  Richardson,  Laban  Clark,  Lewis  Pease, 
and  William  Phoebus.  William  Anson  conducted  an- 
other band  on  the  Ashgrove  district,  among  whom  were 
Samuel  Draper,  Tobias  Spicer,  Phinehas  Peck,  and  John 
Finegan.  Henry  Stead,  on  the  Hudson  River  district, 
had  command  of  some  mighty  laborers,  among  whom 
were  Daniel  Ostrander,  Samuel  Merwin,  Thomas  Wool- 
sey, Phinehas  Rice ;  while  Joseph  Samson  led  a  corps  of 
pioneers  beyond  the  Canada  line,  who  were  scattered  on 
the  St.  Francis  River,  at  Ottawa,  Montreal,  Three  Rivers, 
and  Quebec.  The  veteran  Garrettson  was  missionary 
at  large  in  the  great  field.    This  mere  list  of  names 


182 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OP 


is  pregnant  with  meaning  to  all  who  remeniher  the 
ministry  of  the  Conference  during  the  first  half  of  our 
century. 

IN  NEW  YOEK  CITY. 

Nathan  Bangs  was  now  placed  in  the  first  of  these 
corps  under  Joseph  Crawford,  and  at  the  head  of  the 
Methodist  pastorate  of  New  York  city — the  "  preacher 
in  charge."  Eben  Smith,  John  Robertson,  James  M. 
Smith,  and  Peter  P.  Sandford  were  his  colleagues.  With 
but  few  intermissions  the  city  was  thenceforward  to  be 
the  headquarters  of  his  labors  and  influence.  Methodism 
there  was  still  in  its  youthful  struggles.  It  had  but  one 
circuit,  with  five  preachers,  and,  including  its  vicinity, 
but  little  more  than  two  thousand  communicants.  The 
city  population  comprised  but  about  ninety-six  thousand 
souls.  What  changes  was  he  to  witness  there !  What 
struggles  and  successes  of  his  denomination !  '  What  ex- 
pansion of  the  city  population — from  its  less  than  a  hund- 
red thousand  to  more  than  eight  hundred  and  fourteen 
thousand — what  additions  of  miles  of  streets  and  of 
stately  houses !  What  almost  immeasurable  increase  of 
business  and  opulence !  What  growth  and  transpositions 
of  Methodist  Churches !  By  the  year  of  his  death,  the 
city  and  its  environs  were  to  comprise  about  twice  as 
many  Methodist  preachers  as  the  whole  Conference  then 
reported,  though,  as  we  have  seen,  it  swept  over  much 
of  New  England,  and  up  the  Hudson  into  Canada,  to 
Montreal  and  Quebec  on  the  east,  and  the  River  Thames, 
opposite  Detroit,  on  the  west.  He  was  to  see  the  five 
Methodist  preaching  places  of  the  city  (but  two  or  three 
of  them  churches)  multiplied  to  about  sixty,  including 
Brooklyn,  nearly  all  of  them  commodious  structures,  some 
of  them  ranking  among  the  best  ecclesiastical  edifices  of 
the  nation.  Its  two  thousand  two  hundred  Methodists 
he  was  to  see  increased  to  more  than  seventeen  thousand, 
and  it  may  be  said  that  he  was  to  fall  at  last  in  death  a* 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


183 


the  head  of  this  host,  the  best  known,  the  most  vener- 
ated, and  most  beloved  of  its  representative  men.  A 
marvelous  history  for  one  life. 

HE  ATTEMPTS  REFORMS. 

He  records  that  he  entered  upon  his  new  appointment 
as  preacher  in  charge  of  the  city  Churches  with  much 
diffidence,  as  he  was  almost  an  entire  stranger  among 
them.  He  was,  however,  already  a  paramount  man  in 
the  ministry,  with  a  ripe  judgment,  an  amount  of  intelli- 
gence rare  at  that  period  among  his  brethren,  a  reputa- 
tion for  logical  skill  and  theological  thoroughness  and 
soundness,  and  a  commanding  person  and  voice ;  a 
staunch  disciplinarian,  an  uncommonly  instructive  and 
powerful  preacher.  It  was  quickly  perceived  that  he 
mastered  his  new  position.  He  soon  gave  an  improved 
tone  to  the  Methodism  of  the  city.  For  several  years 
revivals  had  prevailed  in  its  Churches,  but  for  lack  of  dis- 
cipline they  had  degenerated  into  extravagant  excite- 
ments. The  oldest  members,  trained  by  the  first  preach- 
ers, and  peculiarly  exemplary  by  the  depth  and  steadi- 
ness of  their  piety,  deplored  these  errors ;  but  by  many, 
if^ot  most,  of  the  later  converts,  they  were  deemed  un- 
avoidable, if  not,  indeed,  desirable  accompaniments  of 
the  spiritual  life  of  the  Church.  He  determined  to  reform 
them.  "  I  witnessed,"  he  says,  "  a  spirit  of  pride,  pre- 
sumption, and  bigotry,  impatience  of  scriptural  restraint 
and  moderation,  clapping  of  the  hands,  screaming,  and 
even  jumping,  which  marred  and  disgraced  the  work  of 
God.  After  much  consultation  with  my  colleagues,  and 
some  of  the  most  judicious  members  of  the  societies,  and 
also  much  prayer  for  Divine  direction,  I  called  a  general 
society  meeting,  in  which  I  read  the  'General  Rules' 
of  the  Church,  and  some  other  particular  parts  of  the 
Discipline,  making  such  remarks  upon  them  as  were 
suggested  to  my  mind,  and  likewise  gave  my  views  fully 
and  frankly  as  to  the  unseemly  practices  which  I  consid- 


184 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


ered  derogatory  to  the  character  of  the  Church.  My 
mind  seemed  wonderfully  assisted  in  this  delicate  busi- 
ness, and  I  felt  the  approval  of  my  heavenly  Father  to 
rest  upon  my  own  soul,  and  I  believe  his  power  and 
presence  were  felt  throughout  the  assembly.  This  course, 
however,  gave  great  offense  to  many  who  thought  them- 
selves implicated,  and  some  seemed  grieved  because  they 
altogether  misconceived  my  meaning.  All  the  preachers, 
and  there  happened  to  be  several  in  from  the  country  at 
the  time,  and  all  the  oldest,  most  experienced,  judicious 
part  of  the  society,  not  only  cordially  approved  of  my 
attempts  and  the  sentiments  I  had  advanced,  but  they 
rejoiced  exceedingly  at  the  stand  I  had  taken,  believing 
that  the  occasion  called  for  a  firm  hand.  We  therefore 
determined  to  pursue  a  steady  course  in  correcting  these 
disorders,  trusting  in  God  for  success.  After  having  the 
subject  brought  forward  and  considerably  discussed  in 
the  Leaders'  meeting,  in  which  several  hard  tilings  were 
said,  some  wishing  me  to  retract  what  I  had  advanced,  I 
told  the  brethren  that  whatever  deference  I  might  have 
to  their  judgment,  as  I  was  conscious  of  the  Divine  ap- 
probation in  what  I  had  said  and  done,  I  was  so  far  from 
retreating  that  I  would  suffer  my  head  to  be  severgd 
from  my  body  before  I  would  recede  from  the  ground  I 
had  taken.  This  silenced  debate,  and  I  believe  in  a  very 
short  time  all  Avere  fully  satisfied  of  the  purity  of  my 
motives  and  the  correctness  of  my  course. 

SINGULAR  DREAM. 

"About  this  time  I  had  a  very  singular  dream.  In  my 
Bleep  I  thought  a  friend  came  to  see  me,  to  whom  I  showed 
my  garden,  which  I  had  taken  great  pains  to  put  in  order. 
The  weeds  were  all  plucked  up,  and  everything  was  thriv- 
ing. As  we  were  admiringitsbeautyand  promise  my  friend 
said  to  me,  '  Do  you  see  that  snake  ?'  I  looked,  and  saw 
that  a  green  snake,  exactly  resembling  the  vegetation  in 
color,  had  stretched  himself  around  the  entire  garden.  I 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


185 


replied  that  I  saw  him  and  would  kill  him.  My  friend 
rejoined,  'If  you  attempt  to  kill  him  he  will  kill  you,  for 
you  can  see  neither  his  head  nor  tail,  he  is  so  completely 
wound  round  the  garden  like  a  hoop.'  I  then  found  in  my 
hand  one  of  the  most  curious  whips  I  ever  saw.  'Now,' 
said  I,  '  with  this  will  I  kill  him.'  Although  I  could  not 
see  his  head  I  touched  him  very  softly,  when  I  found  he 
squirmed  a  little.  I  struck  him  harder  and  harder,  till  at 
length  he  started  up  his  head  with  great  fury.  When  I 
saw  his  crest,  with  one  blow  of  my  whip  I  severed  his 
head.  'There,'  said  I  to  my  friend,  who  was  looking  on 
with  amazement,  '  he  is  dead.'  On  this  I  awoke,  and  be- 
hold it  was  a  dream,  but  '  the  interpretation  thereof 
seemed  plain.  The  garden  was  the  Church,  of  which  I  had 
the  oversight,  the  snake  was  an  enemy  with  whom  I  had 
to  contend  in  the  discharge  of  my  duties,  and  the  instru- 
ment in  my  hand  was  the  Discipline.  I  had  to  contend 
with  a  man  who  might  justly  be  supposed  to  have  been 
represented  by  the  snake,  but  whose  power  I  wras  deter- 
mined to  break ;  he  soon  showed  himself  in  his  oppo- 
sition to  the  exercise  of  the  Discipline ;  but  he  could  do 
nothing,  as  his  personal  influence  was  quickly  broken." 

His  venerable  friend,  Francis  Hall,  Esq.,  of  the  Com- 
mercial Advertiser,  one  of  the  few  members  of  the 
Church  who  remain  from  that  day,  was  a  witness  of 
these  scenes,  and  writes  as  follows  respecting  them: 
"  Dr.  Bangs  was  a  man  of  order  in  all  things,  and  espe- 
cially so  in  the  house  of  God.  It  is  within  the  remem- 
brance of  some  old  members  in  this  city,  when  a  good 
deal  of  disorder  took  place  at  our  social  meetings.  There 
were  those  who  made  it  a  practice  to  go  from  one  place 
of  worship  to  another,  whose  conduct  was  boisterous; 
not  content  with  loud  outbreakings,  some  would  even  go 
so  far  that  they  would  jump  up  and  down  in  the  pews, 
thereby  disturbing  the  quiet  of  others,  and  destroying 
all  seeming  propriety  of  behavior.  Mr.  Bangs  saw 
that  the  cause  of  God  suffered  by  such  conduct,  and 


186 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


he  determined  to  put  a  stop  to  it.  At  this  period  '  old 
John-street  Church'  was  the  place  where  special  society 
meetings  were  held,  and  here  Mr.  Bangs  called  the  so- 
ciety together  (there  being  only  one  charge  in  the  city  at 
that  time)  for  the  purpose  of  exhorting  the  members  to 
be  more  orderly  in  their  social  meetings.  He  stated,  in 
the  most  affectionate  manner,  his  views  in  regard  to  the 
management  of  those  meetings.  He  told  the  members 
that  no  one  was  more  desirous  for  lively  meetings  than 
himself ;  that  he  always  encouraged  such  meetings ;  yet 
a  lively  and  good  meeting  could  be  had  without  the 
disorders  so  much  complained  of.  The  result  of  this 
meeting  was  of  the  most  pleasing  character.  A  change 
took  place,  which  was  followed  by  a  glorious  revi- 
val. One  incident  of  this  meeting  I  well  remember. 
As  we  were  passing  out  from  the  church  a  good  woman 
remarked  that  'Mr.  Bangs  had  done  more  injury  that 
evening  to  the  cause  of  God  than  he  could  ever  be  able 
to  make  amends  for.'  This  lady  had  been  a  warm  friend 
of  Mr.  Bangs,  and  she  declared  she  never  desired  to 
speak  to  him  again.  It  was  not  long  before  she  regret- 
ted what  she  had  said,  and  became  a  more  devoted  friend 
to  him  than  she  had  ever  been  before." 

INCIDE  NTS — ASBURY. 

The  temporary  disturbance  produced  by  these  measures 
could  not  fail  to  be  erroneously  reported  at  a  distance. 
Letters  were  sent  to  Bishop  Asbury  about  them.  The 
representations  of  the  opposite  parties  afforded  him  but 
a  confused  impression  of  the  case.  He  suspected  that 
both  parties  had  erred,  and  that  personal  resentments 
were  mixed  with  their  proceedings.  In  a  letter  to  Dr. 
Bangs  he  alluded  to  this  suspicion,  but  without  personal 
invidiousness.  Dr.  Bangs  felt,  however,  that  he  deserved 
episcopal  support,  and  not  ambiguity  in  such  a  case,  and 
replied  to  the  bishop  requesting  explanations.  The  lat- 
ter answered  him  in  a  characteristic  letter — character- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


187 


istic  of  the  humility  and  affoctionateuess  of  his  own  great 
heart.  "  My  dear  brother  and  son,"  he  said,  "  it  is  im- 
possible for  me  to  enter  into  explanations.  Unhappy 
suspicions  have  taken  place  (I  said,  I  think)  among  us, 
and  something  like  guile  ;  including  myself.  I  confess  I 
had  better  not  have  said  anything ;  I  did  not  mean  it  for 
any  but  those  that  were  charged  with  it.  I  did  not 
mean  a  charge  against  you  or  any  innocent  person. 
There  may  be  the  appearauce  without  reality.  I  am 
sorry  I  am  not  more  prudent,  but  when  I  am  called  upon 
so  often  to  speak  and  write  I  am  not  sufficiently  on  my 
guard.  I  hope  you  will  bear  with  me.  I  am  persuaded 
of  your  uprightness.  Brother  Hitt  has  spoken  in  the 
highest  terms  of  you  to  me,  in  word  and  letter.  You 
will  pardon  me,  and  pray  that  I  may  say,  do,  preach, 
and  write  better.  I  remain  thine  in  Jesus."  Asbury 
loved  him  with  the  tenderness  of  a  parent;  he  usually 
addressed  him  as  "  My  dear  son."  "  God  be  gracious 
to  you,"  he  writes  on  another  occasion,  "and  remember 
you,  like  David,  in  all  his  troubles.  I  am  sorry,  seriously 
sorry,  I  have  not  written  to  you,  if  I  have  not  written. 
I  am  almost  sure  I  had  your  name  upon  the  docket ;  but  I 
run,  I  flee,  I  forget.  I  feel  for  you,  my  dear,  in  a  tumult- 
uous city,  a  numerous  society,  and  strange  mixtures  of 
people.  And  we  have  our  work ;  I  suppose  I  have  at 
least  near  a  thousand  letters  and  papers  put  into  my 
hand  a  year,  all  calling  for  some  responsibility.  From 
the  first  day  I  saw  and  read  you  I  loved  you  with  pecul- 
iar affection,  I  love  Brother  C. ;  I  love  you  all ;  you 
have  been  my  good,  obedient,  suffering  children."  In  the 
paucity  of  documentary  remains  of  this  great  and  good 
man  every  such  trace  of  his  magnanimous  soul  is  precious. 
He  was  sinking  under  infirmities,  and  was  to  die  in  about 
fout  years.  As  life  dwindled  he  clung  more  tenaciously 
to  his  old  ati'ections  and  friendships.  An  increasingly 
pathetic  tenderness  marks  his  occasional  writings  as  tne 
final  shadows  deepen  over  his  wonderful  career. 


188 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


SUNDAY-SCHOOLS  CATECHISING. 

Mr.  Hall  gives  another  example  of  Dr.  Bangs's  disci- 
plinary firmness  in  New  York.  "  He  was  the  friend 
of  Sunday-schools ;  yet  he  was  opposed  to  the  schools 
being  kept  open  during  the  time  of  public  worship.  A 
number  of  meetings  were  held  in  which  the  subject  was 
fully  discussed  by  both  clergy  and  laity.  I  believe  the 
matter  was  never  brought  to  a  vote,  but  finally  Dr. 
Bangs,  who  was  then  in  charge,  issued  instructions  that 
the  schools  should  not  be  kept  open  during  divine  serv- 
ice. He  did  so  in  a  very  precise  and  decided  manner 
by  the  following  brief  notification :  '  You  are  hereby 
requested  to  desist  from  the  disorderly  practice  of  teach- 
ing your  school  during  divine  service.'  At  that  time  it 
was  the  custom,  in  all  our  churches,  to  have  preaching 
at  three  o'clock.  The  order  to  close  the  schools  in  time 
for  divine  service  caused  some  little  unpleasantness,  but 
this  soon  gave  way,  and  the  course  pursued  by  Dr. 
Bangs  was  generally  approved.  I  believe  that  no 
school  is  now  kept  open  while  the  public  services  are 
going  on." 

"  Not  long,"  continues  his  own  manuscript,  "  after 
taking  charge  of  the  Church  in  the  city,  I  proposed  to 
my  colleagues  the  propriety  of  catechising  the  children — 
a  practice  which,  as  far  as  I  know,  had  never  been  at- 
tempted here — and  likewise  that  we  should  devote  two 
afternoons  in  the  week  to  visiting  from  house  to  house, 
for  our  time  had  been  mostly  absorbed  in  preaching. 
Accordingly  I  gave  notice  that  on  a  given  afternoon 
I  would  meet  all  the  children  who  would  attend,  fur- 
nish them  with  our  'Scriptural  Catechism,'  and  give 
them  lessons  to  learn.  At  the  time  appointed  there  were 
not  less  than  three  hundred  children  assembled  in  the 
Forsyth-street  Church,  to  whom  I  gave  the  Catechism, 
and  pointed  out  the  method  by  which  they  should  study 
it.    I  continued  this  practice  during  the  two  years  T  re- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


189 


mained  in  the  city,  and  some  of  my  colleagues  followed 
my  example.  I  have  since  found  many  of  those  children, 
now  grown  to  maturity,  members  of  the  Church,  and 
eminent  for  piety,  living  Avitnesses  for  our  highest  doc- 
trines of  holiness.  In  visiting  the  families,  talking  and 
praying  with  them,  I  received  a  great  blessing.  Some 
said  that  they  never  had  a  Methodist  preacher  in  their 
houses  before." 

STUDIES  M'KNIGHT  ADAM  CLAEKE. 

While  thus  employed  in  "  disciplining  "  the  Church, 
visiting  from  house  to  house,  and  preaching  incessantly, 
he  so  economized  his  time  as  to  find  opportunity  for 
considerable  study.  He  applied  himself  to  the  Greek 
language,  and  was  ever  afterward  grateful  that  he  had 
been  able  to  acquire  sufficient  knowledge  of  it  to  enable 
him  to  use  it  in  the  study  of  the  sacred  text.  "  This 
study,"  he  says,  "  disposed  me  to  less  confidence  in  my- 
self ;  it  made  me  more  diffident  and  cautious  in  uttering 
opinions  on  subjects  which  require  accurate  investiga- 
tion and  profound  critical  research."  M'Knight  opened 
to  him  the  scope  of  the  Pauline  Epistles,  notwithstand- 
ing many  heterodox  teachings.  The  commentator's  Gen- 
eral Preface  especially  delighted  him  by  its  bearings  on 
the  Calvinistic  controversy.  "  He  is  entitled  to  the 
more  credit,  and  may  be  considered  as  acting  from  the 
honest  convictions  of  his  own  well-informed  mind,  not 
only  because  of  his  critical  acumen,  his  depth  of  learn- 
ing and  extensive  research,  but  also  because  he  be- 
longed to  the  Calvinistic  school,  and  was  a  minister  in 
that  Church.  His  Critical  Notes  are  a  monument  of  his 
learning,  his  industry,  and  of  his  fidelity  to  the  interests 
of  the  truth." 

About  this  time  Adam  Clarke's  Commentary  appeared 
in  America.  "  Seldom,"  he  writes,  "  had  the  announce- 
ment of  a  publication  excited  so  much  interest  among 
all  classes  of  the  religious  community,  especially  the 


190 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


clergy.  A  contest  immediately  commenced  between 
some  booksellers  respecting  the  right  of  precedence  in 
its  republication.  It  was  an  enormous  undertaking  for 
that  day,  requiring  large  expenditure.  After  much  vitu- 
peration on  both  sides  a  compromise  was  effected,  and 
the  work  was  commenced  by  Mr.  Eastman,  of  New 
York,  a  personal  friend  of  Dr.  Clarke,  and  formerly  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Wesleyan  Connection.  It  was  issued  in  num- 
bers, and  was  read  with  avidity."  Defective  as  this 
gigantic  work  now  appears,  as  compared  with  later  crit- 
ical commentaries,  it  was  a  great  production  for  the 
times.  Its  very  defects  gave  it  a  certain  value.  Its 
superabundant  and  often  irrelevant  erudition  afforded, 
not  only  to  the  Methodist  itinerants,  but  to  the  Ameri- 
can ministry  generally,  an  amount  of  knowledge  which 
was  then  not  only  rare,  but  comparatively  inaccessible 
to  many  of  them  in  any  other  form.  Its  singularities, 
not  to  say  whimsicalities,  of  opinion,  served  to  excise  the 
curiosity  and  attract  the  attention  of  hundreds  of  read- 
ers who  would  otherwise  hardly  have  cared  to  trouble 
themselves  with  any  critical  study  of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
Its  value  to  the  Methodist  ministry  was  immeasurably 
great.  It  may  be  said  to  have  initiated  critical  biblical 
studies  among  them.  It  v  as  an  armory  of  scriptural 
learning  to  them,  and  its  vast  amount  of  collateral  in- 
formation prompted  their  studies  in  general  knowledge. 
It  was  a  godsend  to  Nathan  Bangs,  and,  in  connection 
with  his  study  of  the  Greek  language,  opened  a  bound- 
less range  of  biblical  research  before  him.  He  devotes 
a  crowded  page  of  his  manuscript  to  the  expression  of 
his  gratitude  for  so  important  a  help,  and  to  the  end  of 
his  life  he  was  a  strenuous  "  Clarkeite,"  believing  that  no 
other  commentary  approached  it  in  all  essential  points 
of  adaptation  to  the  mass  of  Methodist  preachers, 
though  he  frankly  admitted  its  obvious  defects. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


191 


SUCCESS  IN  THE  CITY. 

The  revival  which  followed  his  decided  disciplinary 
regulation  of  the  New  York  Societies  was  powerful  and 
profound.  It  residted  in  a  gain  of  more  than  two  hund- 
red and  fifty  members  during  the  first  year.  In  his  sec- 
ond year  an  additional  preacher  was  needed  to  supply 
the  enlarged  work.  He  was  still  preacher  in  charge. 
His  associates  were  "William  Phoebus,  Laban  Clark, 
"William  Blagborne,  James  M.  Smith,  and  Peter  P. 
Sandford.  Notwithstanding  the  usual  reaction  of  revi- 
vals, they  reported  a  gain  of  nearly  a  hundred  and  fifty 
members  at  the  close  of  the  year.  Nearly  one  sixth  of 
the  Methodists  of  the  city  at  that  period,  about  forty- 
six  years  after  the  organization  of  its  first  society,  had 
been  gathered  into  the  Church  in  the  two  years  of  his 
pastoral  charge.  The  improved  character  which  he  had 
impressed  upon  the  Methodism  of  the  metropolis  was 
perhaps  more  important  than  these  numerical  gains. 
His  studious  habits,  and  his  predilection  for  theological 
preaching,  had  enabled  him  thoroughly  to  indoctrinate 
the  Societies.  His  pastoral  diligence,  extending,  as  we 
have  seen,  to  the  catechetical  training  of  their  children, 
gave  him  a  salutary  influence  in  their  families,  and  his 
firm,  but  merciful  administration  of  discipline,  estab- 
lished order,  method,  and  efficiency  in  all  the  operations 
of  the  Church. 

FIRST  DELEGATED  GENERAL  CONFERENCE. 

On  the  first  of  May,  1812,  about  a  month  before  the 
close  of  his  term  of  service  in  the  city,  the  first  delega- 
ted General  Conference  began  there  its  session.  He  had 
been  elected  a  delegate  by  the  New  York  Conference, 
which  he  had  represented  in  the  preceding  session  of 
1808;  an  honorable  testimony  of  the  consideration  of 
his  brethren,  repeated  every  four  years  (with  but 
one  exception)  for  nearly  half  a  century,  till,  in  fine, 


102 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


his  advanced  years  justified  his  release  from  snch 
responsibilities. 

He  has  left  ample  notes  of  this  General  Conference,  in- 
terspersed with  remarkably  frank  animadversions  on 
what  he  deemed  defects  in  the  ecclesiastical  system  of 
Methodism.  It  was  an  imposing  assembly,  comprising 
ninety  members.  Like  the  annual  Conferences,  it  met 
with  closed  doors ;  but  traveling  preachers  were  admitted 
to  the  galleries.  Among  the  New  York  Conference  rep- 
resentatives were,  besides  himself,  such  men  as  Merwin, 
Garrettson,  Ostrander,  Clark  ;  from  New  England  were 
Hedding,  Soule,  Pickering,  Webb;  from  the  great  "West- 
ern Conference,  Blackmail,  Lakin,  Quinn,  Collins, 
Young ;  from  Virginia,  Lee,  Early,  Bruce,  Hines  ;  from 
Philadelphia,  Cooper,  M'Claskey,  Sargent,  Roszel ;  from 
Baltimore,  Reed,  Wells,  Snethen,  George,  Shinn,  Roberts, 
Brush,  Smith  ;  from  South  Carolina,  Pierce,  Myers,  Ken- 
nedy, Dunwody.  Never  had  Methodism  gathered  a  body 
of  mightier  men.  Five  of  them  were  destined  to  be 
bishops.  Asbury  was  still  the  predominant  figure  in 
the  assembly,  especially  to  the  eyes  of  Nathan  Bangs. 
He  had  but  a  few  months  before  returned  from  a  survey 
of  the  first  battle-fields  of  the  latter,  in  Canada,  and 
brought  good  reports  of  their  prospects.  "  Surely,"  he 
said,  "  this  is  a  land  that  God  the  Lord  has  blessed.  I 
find  it  like  all  other  stations  in  the  extremities  ;  there 
are  difficulties  to  be  overcome,  and  prospects  to  cheer 
us."  There  were  now  nearly  three  thousand  Methodists 
in  its  young  Societies ;  Quebec  had  yet  but  twenty-six, 
Montreal  but  fifty-two;  but  the  early  circuits  of  Nathan 
Bangs  were  prosperous ;  the  Bay  of  Quinte  reported 
more  than  six  hundred,  Niagara  more  than  five  hundred, 
Long  Point  nearly  six  hundred.  About  a  score  of  itiner- 
ants were  traversing  the  extensive  field.  Asbury  wa3 
now  venerated  by  his  younger  brethren  as  a  scarred 
veteran.  He  was  about  sixty-six  years  old  ;  infirmities- 
were  fast  breaking  him  down ;  he  "  limped  about,"  he 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


193 


says,  "  sung,  talked,  prayed.'"  "  My  consolations  exceed- 
ingly abound,  though  my  sufferings  are  great.  Dr. 
Coke  Bays  fifteen  hundred  miles  in  nine  weeks — I  may 
say  sixteen  hundred  miles  in  sixty  days."  "  Such,"  adds 
Dr.  Bangs,  "  were  episcopal  labors  in  those  days  ;"  and 
these,  it  must  be  remembered,  were  not  the  days  of  steam- 
boats and  railroads,  for  the  former  were  yet  but  locally 
used,  and  the  latter  unknown. 

Bishop  M'Kendreetook  the  lead  in  the  episcopal  pres- 
idency of  the  session.  He  read  a  formal  address  or 
message  before  it,  on  the  condition  of  the  Church,  the 
first  example  of  the  kind  in  a  Methodist  General  Con- 
ference. Asbury  followed  in  an  oral  communication. 
The  delegates  were  cheered  by  the  encouraging  repre- 
sentation of  their  cause  made  by  M'Keudree.  "  Upon 
examination,"  he  said,  "you  will  find  the  work  of  the 
Lord  is  prospering  in  our  hands.  Our  important  charge 
has  greatly  increased  since  the  last  General  Conference  ; 
we  have  had  an  increase  of  nearly  forty  thousand  mem- 
bers. At  present  wTe  have  about  one  hundred  and  nine- 
ty thousand  members,  upward  of  two  thousand  local, 
and  about  seven  hundred  traveling  preachers,  and  these 
widely  scattered  over  seventeen  states,  besides  the  Cana- 
das,  and  several  of  the  territorial  settlements." 

Their  first  bishop,  Coke,  sent  them  a  congratulatory 
letter.  He  had  been  flying,  like  the  apocalyptic  angel, 
"having  the  everlasting  Gospel  to  preach,"  over  the 
Wesl  Indies,  England,  and  Ireland,  and  was  now  pro- 
jecting his  last  great  mission  to  the  East  Indies. 

THE  PRESIDING  ELDERSHIP. 

The  two  principal  questions  before  the  body  related  to  * 
the  election  of  presiding  elders  and  the  ordination  of 
local  preachers.  Dr.  Bangs  took  an  active  part  in  the 
debates  on  both  subjects.  The  presiding  elders  had  been, 
as  they  still  are,  appointed  by  the  bishops.  Many  of  the 
leading  preachers  advocated  their  appointment  by  ballot 
13 


194 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


in  the  annual  conferences.  At  the  session  of  1808  a 
motion  was  introduced  to  make  the  office  elective;  but  it 
was  defeated,  though  fifty-two  voted  for  it.  At  the 
present  session  it  was  renewed,  and  lost  by  a  majority 
of  but  three  votes.  All  the  delegates  of  the  New  York, 
Genesee,  and  Philadelphia  Conferences  voted  for  it; 
they  had  been  elected  by  their  respective  Conferences  for 
the  express  purpose  of  promoting  it.  It  may  not  be  ir- 
relevant here  to  anticipate  the  result  of  this  question.  It 
continued  to  be  agitated  with  extraordinary  interest  down 
to  1828,  "since  which  time,"  says  Dr.  Bangs,  "it  has 
been  allowed  to  sleep  in  peace."  At  the  session  of  1816 
it  was  debated  with  great  zeal  and  ability.  He  says  that 
"  perhaps  a  greater  amount  of  talent  was  never  brought 
to  bear  on  any  question  ever  brought  before  the  General 
Conference  than  was  elicited  from  both  sides  of  the  house 
m  this  discussion."  But  sixty  votes  were  cast  against 
it,  and  but  thirty-eight  for  it.  In  1820  Dr.  Bangs  was 
again  its  staunch  advocate ;  he  M  as  associated  with  Eze- 
kiel  Cooper,  Stephen  G.  Roszel,  Joshua  Wells,  John 
Emory,  and  William  Capers,  (two  of  them  afterward 
bishops,)  in  a  committee,  which  reported  a  bill  for  the 
election  of  the  presiding  elders,  reserving  as  a  compro- 
mise the  right  of  nomination  to  the  bishops.  The  pro- 
posed change  was  adopted  by  a  majority  of  thirty-six, 
and  it  was  now  supposed  to  be  secure;  but  Joshua  Soule, 
elected  bishop  at  this  session,  tendered  his  resignation, 
declaring  to  the  Conference  that  he  could  not,  in  his 
episcopal  administration,  conscientiously  conform  to  the 
new  measure,  as  he  deemed  it  a  contravention  of  the 
Restrictive  Rules  adopted  in  1808.  Bishop  M'Kendree 
also  remonstrated  against  it  for  the  same  reason.  Evi- 
dently serious  disturbance  would  follow  the  measure. 
An  attempt  was  therefore  made  to  reconsider  it,  but 
such  was  the  importance  which  its  advocates  attached  to 
it  that  the  attempt  failed,  and  Bishop  Soule's  resignation 
was  accepted.    At  this  critical  moment  a  temporary 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.I). 


195 


compromise  was  proposed  and  adopted ;  it  was  resolved 
to  suspend  the  measure  till  the  next  General  Conference. 
In  1824  it  was  still  further  discussed  ;  two  bishops,  Soule 
and  Iledding,  were  elected,  (the  former  re-elected;)  they 
were  representatives  of  the  two  parties;  the  measure 
was,  however,  again  suspended,  as  the  only  practicable 
compromise.  In  1828  it  was  rescinded,  and  the  agita- 
tion ceased.  In  his  History  of  the  Church,  Dr.  Bangs 
has  given  an  important  summary  of  the  argument  on 
either  side  of  the  question.*  I  find  in  his  manuscript  ac- 
count of  this  session,  written  many  years  later,  the  fol- 
lowing remarks :  "  For  Bishop  Asbury  all  felt  a  high 
respect;  and  he  was  opposed  to  any  alteration  in  the 
mode  of  appointing  the  presiding  elders.  The  motion  in 
favor  of  their  election  was  supported  by  some  of  the  old- 
est and  most  influential  preachers  in  the  Conference,  such 
as  Jesse  Lee,  Ezekiel  Cooper,  Freeborn  Garrettson, 
Thomas  Ware,  William  Phoebus,  Aaron  Hunt,  etc. ;  but 
it  was  opposed  by  all  the  Southern  and  Western  preach- 
ers, and  by  the  delegates  of  the  New  England  Confer- 
ences. Whether  it  would  have  been  better  for  the  in- 
terests of  the  Church  to  have  had  this  alteration  effected 
or  not,  I  cannot  say ;  but  I  cannot  but  think  that  it  is 
committing  too  much  power  into  the  hands  of  any  one 
man,  however  wise  and  holy  he  may  be,  to  have  the 
destinies  of  so  many  men  at  his  own  disposal,  as  our 
bishops  have.  Not  only  are  there  more  than  twelve 
hundred  ministers,  whose  stations  every  year  are  subject 
to  the  control  of  the  bishops,  but  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren, and  the  people  whom  these  ministers  serve,  so  far 
as  respects  the  men  to  whom  their  spiritual  interests  are 
committed.  Who  will  say  that  this  is  not  a  tremendous 
power  ?  It  is,  in  my  humble  opinion,  a  power  which  not 
one  of  our  bishops  can  safely  use."  He  modified  his 
opinion,  however,  on  this  subject.  In  a  note  to  these 
remarks,  written  on  the  16th  of  September,  1852,  he  says 
*  Vol.  ii,  anno  1812. 


196 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


that  he  is  "inclined  to  think,"  from  later  observation 
of  the  working  of  the  present  plan,  the  increase  of  the 
bishops,  and  virtual  concessions  from  them  in  the  mak- 
ing of  the  appointments,  that  "  however  faulty  our  theory- 
may  be,  its  practice  is  unexceptionable,  and  justifiable 
on  grounds  of  expediency." 

ORDINATION  OF  LOCAL  PREACHERS. 

On  the  other  great  question  before  this  Conference  he 
was,  if  possible,  still  more  decided,  and  remained  so  to 
the  last.  He  opposed  the  ordination  of  local  preachers, 
because  he  could  not  approve  the  ordination  of  any  man 
•who  would  not  give  himself  professionally  and  entirely 
to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  He  says  in  the  manuscript 
before  me,  "  I  think  that,  as  a  Church,  we  have  erred  in 
some  things,  and  been  deficient  in  others.  In  the  first 
place,  in  order  to  secure  an  experienced,  well-informed 
ministry,  such  a  provision  should  have  been  made  for  its 
support  as  to  have  left  no  reasonable  excuse  for  'lo- 
cations.' Having  done  this,  and  it  might  have  been 
done,  those  who  chose  to  leave  the  Word  of  God  to  serve 
tables  should  have  been  stripped  of  their  ministerial 
functions,  and  left  as  they  were  before  they  entered  the 
itinerancy.  This  would  have  prevented  locations,  on  the 
one  hand,  and  secured  an  experienced  ministry  on  the 
other.  As  it  now  is,  many  of  our  most  popular  preach- 
ers have  either  located,  becoming  merchants,  doctors, 
farmers,  or  mechanics,  or  have  joined  other  denomina- 
tions, chiefly  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  This 
has  thinned  our  ranks  and  greatly  weakened  our  force." 

These  are  sharp  sayings ;  they  were  written,  however, 
in  the  last  generation,  when  they  were  more  relevant 
than  at  present.  I  find  in  a  note,  dated  June  14,  1829, 
this  brave  addendum :  "  If  this  should  survive  me,  and 
ever  be  published,  I  charge  those  to  whom  it  may  be 
committed  not  to  suppress  these  remarks  respecting  our 
ministry.  N.  Bangs."   In  fine,  Avhile  no  man  loved  Meth- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


197 


odism  more  devotedly  than  Nathan  Bangs,  his  clear  head 
and  robust  heart  clearly  discerned  and  courageously  as- 
serted its  faults  as  well  as  its  excellencies.  From  the 
beginning  of  his  official  prominence  in  the  Church  he 
"was  above  any  petty  prejudices  or  whimsicalities  to 
which  it  may  have,  directly  or  indirectly,  given  sanction, 
whether  in  its  popular  modes  of  worship,  its  social  habits, 
or  its  disciplinary  system.  Staunchly  conservative  of  its 
essential  characteristics,  he  was  always  "progressive" 
in  matters  of  expediency.  He  had,  however,  his  own 
honest  prejudices.  Though  he  never  changed  his  opinion 
respecting  the  ordination  of  local  preachers,  and  never 
voted  for  the  ordination  of  one  in  his  own  Conference,  it 
may  well  be  doubted  whether  his  judgment  was  not 
erroneous  in  this  respect.  In  most  of  the  country  Meth- 
odism was  yet  a  missionary  system ;  much  of  it  is  still 
such,  and  must  be  for  generations.  Ordained  traveling 
preachers  on  long  circuits  need  the  assistance  of  local 
preachers  in  the  administration  of  the  sacraments,  and, 
aside  from  this  consideration,  it  may  well  be  questioned 
whether  any  tendency  to  popularize  the  Christian  min- 
istry, to  divest  it  of  hierarchical  peculiarities,  and  exalt 
the  lay  life  of  the  Church  to  the  religious  offices  and 
dignity  with  which  Holy  Scripture  seems  to  exalt  it,  as 
"  a  royal  priesthood,"  is  not  conformable  to  the  original 
model  of  the  Church,  and  to  the  original  and  sublime 
design  of  Christianity ;  at  least  it  cannot  be  denied  that 
the  local  ministry  of  Methodism  holds  a  most  important 
historical  position  in  its  great  mission.  It  has  been  in- 
strumental in  founding  the  denomination  in  the  United 
States,  the  North  American  British  Provinces,  the  West 
Indies,  Australia,  and  Africa,  and,  without  pecuniary  re- 
muneration, it  has  always  and  everywhere  done  laborious 
service  for  the  common  cause.  Throughout  the  Method- 
ist world  it  is  numerically  twice  or  thrice  as  strong  as 
the  itinerant  ministry.  It  is  probable  that  if  the  Church 
has  failed  at  all  in  respect  to  it,  the  failure  has  been  in 


198 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OP 


its  encouragement  and  training  rather  than  in  any  undue 
concessions  to  it. 

HIS  SERVICES  IN  THE  CONFERENCE. 

Though  Dr.  Bangs  had  modestly  declined  to  take  any 
active  part  in  the  proceedings  of  the  General  Conference 
of  1808,  except  to  vote,  in  the  present  session  he  as- 
sumed his  due  position.  He  was  prominent  in  its  de- 
bates. He  was  one  of  the  chief  supporters  of  his  life-long 
friend,  Laban  Clark,  who  introduced  the  motion  in  favor 
of  an  elective  presiding  eldership.  He  initiated  the  Com- 
mittee on  the  Book  Concern,  a  measure  which  has  never 
been  abandoned ;  he  already  saw  the  great  capacity  of 
that  institution  by  which,  in  his  own  day  and  mostly 
through  his  own  exertions,  it  was  to  become  the  greatest 
publishing  agency  of  the  religious  world.  He  was  ap- 
pointed with  Cooper,  Snethen,  Roszel,  Bruce,  and  others, 
on  the  Committee  on  the  Episcopacy — the  first  example 
of  that  important  committee.  He  was  a  member  of  a 
committee  on  the  collection  and  publication  of  historical 
documents  relating  to  the  Church,  and  also  of  a  commit- 
tee to  incorporate  into  the  Discipline  the  new  enactments 
of  the  Conference. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


199 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

ITINERANT  LIFE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

The  General  Conference  of  1812  adjourned  on  tlift 
22d  of  May;  the  New  York  Conference  commenced 
its  session,  at  Albany,  on  the  5th  of  June.*  The 
war  with  Great  Britain  was  at  hand,  and  the  polit- 
ical agitation  of  the  nation  had  already  disturbed  its 
religious  tranquillity  and  prosperity.  The  returns  of 
members  showed,  not  only  no  increase,  but  a  loss  in  the 
New  York  Conference. 

Asbury's  visit  to  Canada  had  convinced  him  of  the 
importance  of  that  country  as  a  promising  field  for  Meth- 
odism. Nathan  Bangs  was  the  man,  in  his  estimation, 
to  take  cha7-ge  of  the  part  of  its  territory  which  ap- 
pertained to  the  Lower  Province,  though  it  was  not  now 
within  the  jurisdiction  of  his  own  Conference,  but  be- 
longed to  that  of  Genesee.  The  bishop  had  seen  the 
results  of  his  labors  there,  and  now  solicited  him  with 
much  urgency  to  return  to  it,f  taking  a  station  at  Mon- 
treal, but  having,  at  the  same  time,  charge  of  all  the  cir- 
cuits in  the  province  on  the  north-western  side  of  the 
St.  Lawrence.    "  This,"  he  says,  "  was  a  great  cross  to 

*  In  the  Minutes  it  was  appointed  for  the  4th  of  June ;  Dr.  Bangs's 
manuscript  says  it  began  on  the  oth  of  June. 

t  Notwithstanding  the  absolute  prerogative  of  the  bishops  to  appoint 
preachers  in  that  day,  no  itinerant  was  sent  beyond  the  limits  of  the 
United  States  without  his  own  consent.  Canada  was  considered  a 
missionary  field — a  historical  fact  by  which  the  General  Conference, 
acknowledging  that  it  had  no  constitutional  power  to  divide  the 
Church,  deemed  itself  at  liberty  to  allow  the  separation  of  the  Cana- 
dian Conference  from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1828— a  prece- 
dent of  no  little  importance  in  judging  of  the  division  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  in  1844. 


200 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


mo.  Indeed,  so  many  difficulties  presented  themselves 
in  my  way  that  I  declined  going  till  after  the  appoint- 
ments were  read  off,  at  the  close  of  the  Conference,  and 
I  was  announced  for  the  city  of  Troy.  Knowing  the 
state  of  things  in  Canada,  and  feeling  much  for  the  peo- 
ple, and  perceiving  at  the  same  time  that  the  men  ap- 
pointed for  it  were  entirely  inadequate  to  its  wants,  I  at 
last  told  Bishop  M'Kendree,  that  if  he  would  allow  me 
to  return  to  the  States  at  the  end  of  four  years  I  would 
consent  to  go.  He  accepted  me,  and  the  appointment 
was  made.  Soon  after  the  adjournment,  news  of  the 
declaration  of  war  against  Great  Britain  reached  the 
city  of  New  York,  where  I  then  was  with  my  family. 
This,  of  course,  cut  off  all  friendly  intercourse  between 
the  Canadas  and  the  United  States.  For  some  time  I 
hesitated  what  to  do,  but  by  the  advice  of  friends  I 
finally  concluded  to  pursue  my  journey,  and,  after  tak- 
ing an  affectionate  leave  of  my  people  in  New  York, 
who  had  been  remarkably  kind  to  me  and  mine  during 
all  my  residence  among  them,  I  set  off  and  went  as  far 
as  Lansingburg.  Here  I  halted  until  Bishops  Asbnry  and 
M'Kendree  returned  from  the  New  England  Conference. 
They  both  decided  that  it  was  not  expedient  for  me  to 
proceed  further.  My  mission  was  therefore  abandoned. 
I  took  part  of  a  house  which  Rev.  Peter  P.  Sandford 
occupied  in  Troy.  I  felt  somewhat  embarrassed,  not 
having  any  particular  station,  and,  of  course,  no  resources 
for  a  livelihood  for  my  wife  and  two  children,  except  a 
little  money  of  my  own,  and  these  uncertainties  in  a  time 
of  war  and  great  public  agitation.  There  were  indeed 
calls  enough  for  preaching  as  long  as  I  could  preach  gra- 
tuitously, to  which  I  had  no  objection  were  I  not  de 
pendent  upon  my  labors  for  my  support.  The  Lord,  how- 
ever, provided  for  me.  I  found  some  relief  to  my  anxie- 
ties in  occupying  my  leisure  with  the  composition  of  an 
essay  on  the  Reasonableness  of  Christianity.  I  had  long 
meditated  it,  but  though  I  have  since  nearly  completed 


NATHAN"  BANGS,  D.T). 


201 


it,  I  have  not  felt  at  liberty  to  submit  it  to  the  public. 
If  it  may  never  have  any  other  use,  the  writing  of  it 
has  at  least  tended  to  quicken  and  enlarge  m>  own 
mind. 

"  While  in  Troy  I  had  various  solicitations  from  my 
friends  in  New  York,  particularly  from  the  venerable 
Mr.  Garrettson,  who  then  presided  over  the  New  York 
district,  to  remove  southward.  Accordingly,  about  the 
middle  of  September  I  left  Troy,  took  a  boat  at  Albany, 
and  conveyed  my  family  to  Tarrytown.  The  day  after 
my  arrival  I  was  seized  with  dysentery,  but  we  were 
received  into  the  house  of  a  friend,  and  during  the  whole 
of  my  sickness,  which  lasted  about  five  weeks,  were 
treated  with  all  the  kindness  and  hospitality  I  could  have 
expected  in  my  own  father's  house.  For  about  one 
week  I  suffered  excruciating  pain,  but  it  pleased  God  to 
restore  me.  When  sufficiently  strong  I  removed  my 
family  to  the  town  of  Bedford,  on  the  Croton  circuit, 
which  I  traveled  the  remainder  of  the  year.  There  I 
found  a  very  affectionate  people.  They  did  not  merely 
say,  '  Go  and  be  thou  warmed,  and  be  thou  clothed,'  but 
they  gave  such  things  as  I  needed,  and  I  labored  among 
them  with  peculiar  satisfaction.  We  had  not  been  long 
settled  in  Bedford  when  my  wife  was  taken  sick  with 
every  symptom  of  fatal  consumption.  She  was  under 
the  doctor's  care  about  four  months,  but  finally  recover- 
ed her  health.  On  the  whole  thi>  was  a  year  of  severe 
affliction,  mixed  indeed  with  many  mercies.  Besides  our 
sickness,  we  moved  no  less  than  three  times,  and  over 
considerable  distances.  God,  however,  was  gracious,  and 
sent  us  'help  from  his  holy  hill.'" 

His  friend  and  colaborer,  Rev.  Dr.  Luckey,  refers  to 
these  events  as  follows :  "  Mr.  Asbury  found  it  difficult 
to  get  men  to  supply  the  work  in  Canada,  in  consequence 
of  the  threatened  rupture  between  the  United  States  and 
England.  Rev.  J.  Scull,  preacher  at  Quebec,  and  Rev. 
J.  Mitchell,  at  Montreal,  declined  returning  to  Canada. 


202 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OP 


Mr.  Sampson,  the  presiding  elder,  had  left  his  work  and 
never  returned  to  it.  Considering  Canada  as  missionary 
ground,  Mr.  Asbury  would  not  appoint  any  but  volun- 
teers to  it ;  and  under  the  circumstances  he  found  it  diffi- 
cult to  get  any  to  volunteer.  Rev.  T.  Burch,  who  was 
a  British  subject,  consented  to  go  to  Quebec.  Seeing  the 
reluctance  of  others,  Dr.  Bangs,  after  having  declined 
the  offer  of  the  appointment,  magnanimously  volunteered 
,  to  fill  the  other  vacancy  at  Montreal.  This  was  a  noble 
example  to  men  of  inferior  claims.  He  had  reached  a 
position  which  would  secure  to  him  any  one  of  the  best 
appointments  in  the  states.  But  with  this  justly  merited 
position,  he  surrendered  all  claim  to  a  privileged  ap- 
pointment in  order  to  meet  the  call  of  the  work  where 
others  refused  to  go.  He  was  accordingly  appointed  to 
Montreal,  with  the  charge  of  the  Lower  Canada  district. 
The  preachers  appointed  to  that  field  were,  at  Montreal, 
Nathan  Bangs ;  Quebec,  Thomas  Burch  ;  Ottawa,  Rob- 
ert Hibbard ;  St.  Francis  River,  Samuel  Luckey  and  J. 
F.  Chamberlain.  But  none  of  these  were  able  to  reach 
their  appointments  except  Hibbard  and  Burch.  The 
former  was  drowned  soon  after  in  attempting  to  cross 
the  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  latter  took  charge  of  the 
Church  in  Montreal,  being  protected  as  a  subject  of  the 
British  government.  Luckey  and  Chamberlain,  being 
unable  to  cross  the  line  in  safety,  found  employment  in 
the  regular  work  in  Vermont,  within  the  New  England 
Conference.  Dr.  Bangs,  from  the  same  impediment, 
found  himself  far  separated  from  his  associates,  and 
without  a  definite  field  of  labor.  He  did  not  remain 
idle,  however.  He  was  employed  by  the  presiding  elder 
on  Croton  circuit,  where  he  did  effective  service."* 

OLD  EHINEBECK  DISTRICT. 

In  this  desultory  way  he  passed  through  the  ecclesias- 
tical year  and  returned  to  the  Conference,  which  began 
*  Letter  of  Rev.  Dr.  Luckey  to  the  author. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


203 


its  session  at  Amenia,  N.  "Y.,  May  5,  1813,  where  he 
was  honored  by  his  brethren  with  one  of  its  most  im- 
portant appointments,  the  presiding  eldership  of  the 
Rhinebeck  district.  It  was  a  grand  field  for  his  energies, 
extending  from  Rhinebeck  through  Dutchess  county, 
and  through  western  Massachusetts  to  Pittsfield,  and 
thence  through  Connecticut  to  Long  Island  Sound.  The 
territory  of  this  old  district  includes,  in  our  day,  some 
half  dozen  presiding  elders'  jurisdictions.  It  reported, 
at  that  time,  but  three  or  four  chapels  and  no  parsonage 
whatever.  Dr.  Bangs  was  then  in  the  maturity  of  his 
manhood.  His  preaching  was  powerful :  his  quarterly 
meetings  and  camp-meetings  were  jubilatic  occasions, 
crowded  by  multitudes  from  many  miles  around.  He 
traversed  his  great  field  with  tireless  energy,  and  before 
he  left  it,  was  begun  that  liberal  provision  of  chapels 
and  parsonages  which  has  dotted  the  whole  region  with 
Methodist  edifices — a  chapel  and  a  preacher's  home  in 
almost  every  village.  The  old  Rhinebeck  district  may 
now,  in  fine,  be  called  the  garden  of  Methodism.  He 
had  under  his  command  nearly  a  score  of  powerful  evan- 
gelists, who  caught  inspiration  from  his  own  unflagging 
zeal.  Among  them  were  James  M.  Smith,  Coles  Car- 
penter, Samuel  Luckey,  B.  Hibbard,  Aaron  Hunt,  Elijah 
Woolsey,  Marvin  Richardson,  Ebenezer  Washburn, 
and  James  Coleman.  Some  of  them  had  been  trained, 
like  himself,  in  the  heroic  itinerancy  of  Canada.  He 
not  only  labored  with  his  might  for  the  spiritual  advance- 
ment of  the  societies,  but  incessantly  endeavored  to  pro- 
mote their  financial  support,  the  improvement  of  their 
places  of  worship,  and  the  better  arrangement  of  their 
circuit  appointments.  In  these  respects  he  was  a  model 
presiding  elder.  Especially  did  he  remonstrate  against 
the  penurious  maintenance  of  the  itinerants.  "  When  I 
went  upon  this  district,"  he  writes,  "I  told  the  preach- 
ers that  if  they  would  second  me  in  my  plans  I  would 
guarantee  their  full  '  allowance.'   I  submitted  my  plan 


204 


LIFE  ANt)  TIMES  OF 


to  the  Quarterly  Conferences  and  it  was  very  generally 
approved.  At  the  first  Quarterly  Meeting  after  the  an- 
nual Conference  we  ascertained  the  amount  necessary 
to  meet  the  demands  for  the  year.  This  we  divided 
among  the  several  classes,  in  proportion  to  their  numbers 
and  ability,  as  nearly  as  could  be  ascertained,  and  then 
the  classes  apportioned  it  among  their  members.  I  be- 
lieve there  was  very  little  if  any  deficiency  through  the 
whole  four  years ;  and  I  am  persuaded  that,  if  suitable 
measures  were  pursued,  the  full  amount  of  all  demands 
might  be  collected  every  year,  and  thus  the  hearts  of  our 
hard  working  preachers  and  of  their  widows  and  or- 
phans, who  now  receive  only  about  one  third  of  their 
allowance,  would  be  made  to  rejoice." 

He  also  succeeded  in  ameliorating  the  condition  of  the 
Church  by  modifying  the  plan  of  circuit  ministrations 
through  most  of  the  district.  We  may  indeed  claim 
for  him  the  honor  of  initiating  that  change,  in  this  re- 
spect, which  has  since  extended  its  beneficent  influences 
through  most  of  the  Atlantic  Conferences.  "  Though 
Methodism,"  he  continues,  "  had  been  planted  in  this 
part  of  the  country  for  a  number  of  years,  yet  the  socie- 
ties were  generally  small,  the  meeting-houses  few  and 
located  in  out  of  the  way  places,  remote  from  the  cen- 
ters of  population,  and  most  of  them  but  half  finished. 
The  itinerants  on  their  four  weeks'  circuits  were  in  the 
habit  of  preaching  at  each  appointment  once  in  two 
weeks,  (there  being  two  preachers  usually  to  each  circuit,) 
mostly  in  private  or  school-houses,  and  after  the  sermon 
they  were  quickly  away  to  the  next  appointment.  As 
a  consequence,  though  their  labors  were  blessed  in  the 
conversion  of  souls,  most  of  their  converts  were  gath- 
ered into  other  Churches,  the  pastors  of  these  being  on 
the  spot,  and  usually  alert  for  them.  Seeing  this  state 
of  things,  I  said  to  the  preachers,  '  You  might  as  well 
go  home  and  go  to  sleep,  so  far  as  Methodism  is  con- 
cerned, as  to  preach  in  the  manner  you  do ;  for  though 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


205 


your  labors  may  be  blessed,  other  sects  will  reap  their 
results,  and  thus,  so  far  as  our  own  Church  is  concerned, 
you  lose  the  fruit  of  your  toils  and  sufferings.'  '  What 
shall  we  do  V  it  was  asked.  '  We  mast,'  I  replied,  '  go 
to  work  and  build  churches  in  all  the  cities  and 
populous  villages,  and  have  preachers  stationed  in  them, 
that  they  may  perform  the  duties  of  pastors,  watching 
over  the  flock  and  building  them  up  in  holiness.'  The 
necessity  of  this  course  was  generally  conceded,  but 
how  to  accomplish  it  was  the  question.  Our  people 
were  generally  poor  and  the  societies  small,  and  there- 
fore unable  to  build  churches  and  support  pastors.  But 
it  manifestly  must  be  done.  These  views  I  endeavored 
to  press  upon  the  people  and  preachers,  and  we  went  to 
work  as  well  as  we  could ;  a  beginning  opened  the  way 
for  further  success,  and  this  policy  has  ever  since  been 
followed  on  the  district  with  continual  advancement. 
Its  results  fully  justify  the  views  expressed.  Through 
all  that  region  we  now  have  convenient  houses,  flour- 
ishing societies,  preachers  stationed  and  comfortably 
supported.  To  God  be  all  the  glory !"  It  may  indeed 
be  aflirmed  that  throughout  the  territory  of  this  old  dis- 
trict— western  Connecticut,  western  Massachusetts,  and 
the  upper  Hudson — Methodism  presents  to-day  the 
bright  and  indelible  impression  of  the  wise  and  en- 
ergetic plans  of  Nathan  Bangs.  Nowhere  else  in 
the  world  has  it  better  chapels  and  parsonages,  more 
vigorous  societies,  or  more  intelligent  and  enterprising 
people. 

ms  success. 

Meanwhile  he  neglected  not  his  own  culture  as  a  man 
and  a  theologian.  His  habits  of  study  were  hardly  re- 
laxed, though  he  was  constantly  in  motion  on  horseback. 
He  now  felt,  indeed,  more  than  ever  the  necessity  of 
thorough  ability  in  his  professional  studies,  for  he  was 
surrounded  by  theological  difficulties  which  required  the 


206 


LIFE  AXD  TIMES  OF 


best  possible  mastery.  The  rigid  Calvinism  of  New- 
England  had  yielded  to  some  modifications  in  the  fur- 
ther east,  but  in  Connecticut  and  western  Massachu- 
setts he  found  it  in  unabated  strength.  He  deemed  it  a 
chief  obstacle  to  the  "  revivals,"  which  were  character- 
istic of  Methodistic  preaching.  Partially  awakened 
minds  were  waiting  for  the  "  effectual  call ;"  awakened 
minds  felt  little  or  no  responsibility  for  their  moral  con- 
dition, as  they  had  been  taught  that  it  was  the  result  of 
predestination ;  backslidden  converts,  believing  in  their 
final  safety,  defended  themselves  by  a  theological  shield 
from  the  warnings  of  the  evangelists.  It  is  unnecessary 
to  argue  whether  these  evils  were  legitimate  conse- 
quences of  the  prevalent  creed ;  they  were  at  least  its 
popular  consequences,  and  Dr.  Bangs  and  his  colleagues 
saw  that  they  must  be  dispelled  before  their  message  to 
the  people  could  have  full  sway.  They  had  reluctantly 
to  become  polemics  as  well  as  evangelists.  In  doing  so 
they  may  have  sometimes  erred  by  an  excess  of  contro- 
versy, but  this  could  be  but  an  occasional  fault ;  their 
ministerial  methods  and  zeal  kept  them  generally  faithful 
to  their  main  wrork,  the  conversion  and  sanctification  of 
the  people,  and  they  were  successful.  "  The  Lord,"  he 
writes,  "  blessed  our  endeavors  ;  we  had  the  happiness 
to  witness  several  gracious  revivals  of  religion."  They 
led  the  way  in  that  amelioration  of  theological  opinions 
which  has  ever  since  been  advancing  throughout  this 
section  of  New  England,  and  by  the  end  of  his  four 
years'  superintendence  of  the  district  its  nine  circuits,  or 
stations,  had  increased  to  thirteen,  its  nineteen  preachers 
to  twenty-five,  and  it  had  gained  nearly  a  thousand 
Church-members.  Besides  this  numerical  success,  yearly 
all  its  economical  interests  had  improved;  chapels  and 
parsonages  were  springing  up  all  over  its  territory. 
Methodism  had,  in  fine,  secured  in  this  extensive  region 
not  only  a  lodgment,  but  a  strength  which  no  subse- 
quent adversities  have  been  able  to  shake. 


NATHAN  BAXGS,  D.D. 


207 


HIS  PREACHING. 

His  ability  in  the  pulpit  attracted  the  people  in  crowds 
at  his  numerous  appointments,  for  his  word  was  in  "  dem- 
onstration of  the  Spirit  and  of  power."  The  clergy  of 
other  denominations  delighted  to  hear  him,  while  dread- 
ing his  supposed  heresies.  His  surviving  friend,  Francis 
Hall,  who  knew  him  well  about  this  time,  describes  him 
as  "a  master  of  theology  and  logic,  and  better  known 
among  other  sects  than  almost  any  Methodist  preacher, 
except  Asbury."  "  I  remember,"  writes  Mr.  Hall,  "  that 
soon  after  the  war,  which  commenced  in  1812,  I  was 
traveling  to  the  north,  and  had  put  up  for  the  night  at 
Jaques  Hotel,  in  Rhinebeck.  There  I  found  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Romeyn  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  "Westbrook — eminent 
clergymen  of  that  day.  The  conversation  turned  to 
Methodist  preaching,  when  Dr.  Romeyn  remarked  that 
one  of  the  best  sermons  he  ever  heard  was  from  Nathan 
Bangs,  in  the  Rhinebeck  church."*  If  not  intellectually 
polished,  he  Avas  intellectually  powerful;  a  certain  mighti- 
ness of  thought  and  feeling  bore  down  at  times  all  before 
him,  especially  when  he  preached  to  large  assemblies  at 
quarterly  and  camp-meetings.  At  one  of  the  latter  it 
was  estimated  that  two  hundred  hearers  were  awakened 
under  a  single  sermon ;  they  fell,  like  wounded  men,  on  the 
right  and  on  the  left;  he  preached  on  for  two  hours;  and 
it  is  said  that  an  earthquake,  shaking  the  camp  through- 
out those  awful  hours,  could  hardly  have  produced  a 
more  irresistible  excitement.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Fitch  Reed, 
who  began  his  ministry  on  this  district  in  1815,  writes 
of  him  :  "  I  hardly  dare  speak  in  such  terms  as  would 
fully  express  my  estimate  of  his  character,  lest  to 
others  I  might  seem  extravagant  in  eulogy.  Very  inti- 
mate acquaintance  was  necessary  in  order  really  to  know 
him ;  and  the  better  he  was  known,  the  brighter  ap 
peared  the  excellent  qualities  of  his  heart.  To  a  strangei 
*  Letter  of  Francis  Hall,  Esq.,  to  the  author. 


20S 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


he  might  seem  stern,  haughty,  and  unapproachable ;  yet 
really  no  one  could  well  be  less  so.  In  the  intimacy  and 
freedom  of  intercourse  with  his  friends,  he  was  remark- 
able for  his  childlike  simplicity  and  gentleness,  his  entire 
freedom  from  guile,  and  the  Strength  and  fervor  of  his 
attachments.  In  his  promptness  and  frankness  to  recall 
any  hasty  words  inconsiderately  uttered  against  others, 
I  think  I  never  knew  his  superior,  if  indeed  his  equal. 
In  all  that  region  of  country  no  one  stood  higher  in  pub- 
lic esteem.  Quarterly  Meetings  were  great  occasions, 
calling  out  vast  multitudes,  many  of  them  from  a  dis- 
tance of  thirty  or  forty  miles.  No  church  edifice  would 
begin  to  accommodate  the  crowds  of  people ;  and  in  the 
summer  season  an  orchard  or  grove  frequently  served  as 
our  temple  of  worship,  and  mighty  displays  of  awaken- 
ing and  saving  power  were  often  witnessed  under  the 
fervid  and  heart-searching  preaching  of  our  presiding 
elder." 

THE  CALVINISTIC  CONTROVERSY. 

He  used  his  pen  in  the  necessary  controversies  of  these 
times.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Williston,  in  whose  church  he  had 
held  the  debate,  at  Durham,  1ST.  Y.,  published,  as  has 
been  stated,  a  volume  on  the  subjects  of  the  controversy, 
with  severe  reflections  on  the  Methodist  ministry.  Dr. 
Bangs  believed  it  his  duty  to  answer  this  publication,  in 
a  work  entitled  "Errors  of  Hopkinsianism :  Letters  to 
Rev.  Mr.  Williston,"  etc.,  issued  in  1815.  He  says,  in 
the  manuscript  before  me,  "Whatever  imperfections 
there  may  be  in  this  book,  and  there  are  doubtless  many, 
I  enjoy  the  consciousness  of  having  acted  in  the  fear  of 
God  and  from  a  sense  of  duty.  I  soberly  believe  that 
those  features  of  Calvinism  that  distinguish  it  from  Ar- 
minianism  are  contrary  to  the  Holy  Scriptures  and 
reason,  and  have  a  most  pernicious  influence.  While, 
however,  I  say  this,  I  fully  accredit  the  good  and  able 
men  who  have  been,  and  are  still,  conscientiously  en- 


XATHAN  BANGS,  U.D. 


209 


gaged  in  their  defense.  But  Calvinism  had  lately  been 
improved  by  Hopkinsianism,  and  in  addition  to  tho 
points  of  difference  alluded  to,  the  peculiarities  of  Hop- 
kinsianism entered  into  the  present  controversy,  and 
rendered  it  still  more  intricate  and  perplexing.  The 
latter  system  approximates,  in  some  respects,  nearer  to 
Methodism ;  but  while  it  holds  that  Christ  died  for  all 
men,  and  that  all  may  be  saved  if  they  will,  it  holds  fast 
the  doctrines  of  predestination,  eternal  and  individual 
election,  the  necessary  continuance  of  indwelling  sin, 
and  the  final  perseverance  of  the  saints,  and  these  make 
it  inconsistent  with  itself.  Not  withstanding  these  bel- 
ligerent troubles,  during  the  third  and  fourth  years  of 
my  travels  on  the  district  we  had  increasing  revivals. 
The  pure  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  ran  and  were  glorified. 
New  places*  for  preaching  Avere  opened  in  many  towns, 
and  we  had  large  and  attentive  congregations.  And 
though  we  felt  it  to  be  our  duty  to  j>reach  against  the 
peculiarities  of  Hopkinsianism  and  Calvinism,  many 
Calvinistic  churches  were  opened  to  us,  and  prejudices 
against  us  were  much  weakened,  our  doctrines  being 
better  understood  and  more  favorably  received.  Though 
I  printed  an  edition  of  three  thousand  of  the  'Errors 
of  Hopkinsianism  Detected  and  Refuted,'  they  were  all 
sold  in  about  six  months,  and  I  had  orders  on  hand  for 
considerably  more  than  I  could  supply.  The  circulation 
of  this  book  gave  me  access  to  many  places  which  other- 
wise, I  believe,  I  could  never  have  reached." 

While  writing  the  "  Letters,"  he  reviewed  in  his 
studies  the  whole  Calvinistic  controversy.  He  grappled 
the  gigantic  work  of  Edwards  on  the  "Will,  admiring 
its  profouud  ability,  but  detecting  in  it  the  central  fal- 
lacy which  its  later  critics  have  imputed  to  it.  Hopkins, 
Emmons,  Williams,  and  other  representative  theologi- 
ans of  the  time,  were  assiduously  studied  by  him ;  he 
became  a  master  of  the  controversy,  and,  in  his  subse- 
quent editorial  life  these  earlv  inquiries  were  available 
14 


210 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


tor  the  defense  of  his  Church.  For  many  years  he  was 
the  most  competent  polemic  in  this  particular  depart- 
ment of  theological  metaphysics  that  the  denomination 
could  boast  of  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

CnURCn  AND  STATE. 

His  labors  in  Connecticut  aided  much  in  promoting 
another  great  public  advantage.  The  connection  of 
Church  and  State  still  existed  there.  The  Calviuistic 
"  standing  order"  still  imposed  some  grievous  disabilities 
on  other  religious  parties.  The  state  constitution  in 
spirit  contravened  the  federal  Constitution  regarding  re- 
ligious liberty.  The  rapid  growth  of  Methodism  and 
the  declension  of  the  traditional  theology  tended  much 
to  render  this  state  of  things  intolerable.  "A  favorable 
opportunity,"  he  writes,  "occurred  for  the  suffering 
sects  to  relieve  themselves,  and  they  so  far  improved  it 
as  to  effect  a  revolution.  A  convention  was  called,  and  a 
constitution  adopted  which  secures  to  all  religious  de- 
nominations equal  rights  and  privileges."  The  favorable 
opportunity  here  alluded  to  was  the  payment,  by  the 
Federal  government,  of  the  expenses  of  the  state  militia, 
incurred  in  the  late  war  with  Great  Britain.  The  state 
legislature  appropriated  the  funds  thus  obtained  to  the 
different  Christian  denominations,  for  the  promotion  of 
religion  and  morals  in  the  commonwealth  ;  but  the  dis- 
proportionate amount  given  to  the  "  standing  order " 
dissatisfied  the  Methodists,  Baptists,  Protestant  Episco- 
palians, and  others,  who  were  really  a  majority.  The 
dissidents  united  in  a  protest  against  the  inequitable  ap- 
portionment; the  result  was  a  convention,  the  abroga- 
tion of  the  Colonial  Charter,  the  adoption  of  a  Bill  of 
Bights  and  a  Constitution,  the  Abolition  of  Church  Taxes, 
and  the  enfranchisement  of  all  sects.  This  example  led 
to  a  similar  reform  in  Massachusetts,  and  thus  com- 
pleted the  separation  of  Church  and  State  in  the  United 
States, 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


211 


REVISITS  THE  SCENES  OF  HIS  CHILDHOOD. 

The  Rhinebeck  district  included  the  localities  of  his 
childhood,  and  he  visited  them  with  affecting  interest. 
"  I  had,"  he  says,  "  been  absent  from  them  twenty  years ; 
it  gave  me  much  joy,  therefore,  to  return  to  these  places 
of  my  early  remembrances.  At  the  first  house  to 
which  I  came,  and  where  I  used  to  be  known,  I  found 
the  head  of  the  family  old  and  decrepid.  After  exchang- 
ing a  few  words  with  him  I  inquired  for  Captain  Sum- 
mers and  his  brother's  family,  with  whom  I  had  been 
intimate.  The  two  brothers  were  dead,  and  their  fami- 
lies dispersed.  Many  others  for  whom  I  inquired  were 
also  dead ;  some  of  them  had  perished  at  sea,  some  in  the 
far  West.  Almost  all  the  old  people  whom  I  could 
remember  were  '  gone  the  way  of  all  the  earth.'  My  re- 
flections became  sad ;  I  seemed  in  a  strange  land.  My 
young  associates  had  so  changed  that  I  could  not  recog- 
nize them.  I  turned  mournfully  away  toward  the  burial- 
ground  to  converse  with  the  dead.  There  I  found  on  the 
tombstones  the  names  of,  alas !  how  many  whom  I  could 
recollect.  I  wandered  among  their  graves  a  long  time ; 
I  reflected,  not  unprofitably  nor  unpleasantly,  upon  the 
transitory  nature  of  all  earthly  things,  and  endeavored  to 
lift  my  heart  to  the  abiding  heavens,  the  final  home.  I 
devoutly  thanked  God  for  his  many  mercies  to  me,  a 
poor  wanderer  on  the  earth,  who  had  so  strangely  found 
my  way  back  to  these  first  scenes  of  my  pilgrimage.  I 
could  not  well  break  away  from  the  spot.  My  mind 
seemed  fascinated  by  its  many  associations."  The 
place  where  he  used  to  attend  school ;  the  public 
"green,"  where  the  village  parades  were  held  and  his 
boyish  sports  were  played ;  the  old  inn,  once  a  notable 
place  of  the  parish,  .now  converted  into  a  preaching- 
house  ;  the  fields  where  he  wandered  in  his  boyhood ;  the 
church  in  which  he  was  baptized,  and  whither  his  parents 
used  to  lead  his  young  feet  to  the  ordinances  of  God, 


212 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


wore  all  in  sight.  "How  many  recollections,"  he  con- 
tinues, "  crowded  upon  my  mind!  In  my  meditations  I 
made  a  rapid  history  of  the  first  thirteen  years  of  my  life. 
It  was  mostly  beautiful  with  the  simple  poetry  of  child- 
hood; but  what  changes  had  occurred  in  the  twenty  years 
of  my  absence !  The  house  in  which  I  had  lived  was  de- 
molished; the  school-house  was  gone;  the  church,  though 
standing,  seemed  smitten  with  the  general  change,  for  it 
had  been  forsaken  for  another,  and  was  going  to  decay ; 
the  old  innkeeper  was  dead,  and  many  of  his  aged  neigh- 
bors and  jovial  customers  lay  by  his  side  in  the  dust ;  his 
widow  survived ;  she  had  become  a  Methodist,  and  her 
house  was  now  the  occasional  temple  of  my  own  breth- 
ren. I  looked  this  way  and  that,  but  was  riveted  to  the 
spot  by  an  irresistible  yet  pleasant  melancholy.  I  did 
not  wish  to  see  a  living  being,  nor  to  be  diverted  from 
my  saddening  meditations.  "Whether  the  friend  who 
was  with  me  perceived  my  emotions  or  not  I  cannot  say, 
but  he  appeared  willing  to  leave  me  to  my  musings.  O 
this  was  a  most  profitable  hour!  I  thought  it  would 
compensate  for  whatever  I  might  suffer  during  my 
travels  on  the  district. 

"Leaving  the  place  consecrated  to  the  dust  of  my 
friends,  I  visited  a  half  sister,  who  was  married  and  the 
mother  of  a  family  ;  and  here  again  the  fountain  of  old 
memories  was  broken  up.  In  the  evening  I  preached 
in  the  old  inn.  A  large  assembly,  most  of  whom  for- 
merly knew  me,  were  present,  and  I  addressed  them 
with  deep  and  pensive  satisfaction.  The  appearance  of 
60  many  bowed  and  gray-headed  men,  whom  I  knew  in 
their  prime  of  life,  when  I  was  but  a  boy,  reminded  me 
again  of  the  swift  flight  of  the  years,  and  made  me  think 
for  the  first  time  that  I  was  growing  old,  though  yet  but 
thirty-six  years  of  age.  Before  I  left  the  village  I  visited 
many  families,  former  acquaintances  of  my  father,  who 
remembered  me  as  the  'little  white-headed  boy'  of  other 
years.    Some  of  them  told  me  they  used  to  predict  that 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


213 


I  would  become  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  and  seemed  to 
delight  in  rehearsing  incidents  of  my  boyhood." 

GENERAL  COHERENCE  OF  1816. 

While  superintending  this  district  he  was  elected  n 
delegate  to  the  General  Conference  of  1816,  which  as- 
sembled in  Baltimore  on  the  first  of  May.  One  hundred 
and  three  delegates  were  present,  representing  all  parts 
of  the  nation.  Besides  himself,  New  York  Conference 
sent  Garrettson,  Phoebus,  "Washburn,  Merwin,  Sandford, 
Clark,  Ostrander,  and  others  of  its  chief  men ;  Soule, 
Hedding,  Ruter,  Pickering,  and  similar  men  were  there 
from  New  England ;  Puffer,  Gary,  Mattison,  Case,  from 
Genesee ;  Quinn,  Holliday,  Yoimg,  Lakin,  Sale,  from 
Ohio  ;  Cartwright,  Sellers,  Axley,  and  Walker  from  Ten- 
nessee ;  Myers,  Kennedy,  Dunwody,  Tally,  from  South 
Carolina;  Bruce,  Ilines,  Drake,  Thrift,  from  Virginia; 
Wells,  George,  Smith,  Roszel,  Griffith,  Burch,  Shinn, 
Gruber,  Waugh,  from  Baltimore;  Roberts,  M'Combs, 
Sharp,  Martindale,  Boehm,  Emory,  and  Bishop  from 
Philadelphia.  Six  of  these  delegates  afterward  became 
bishops  in  the  denomination,  and  the  body  as  a  whole 
presented  an  extraordinary  example  of  intellectual  and 
moral  strength. 

Peace  was  now  restored  to  the  country,  but  the  moral 
effect  of  the  war  was  still  generally  visible.  The  increase 
of  communicants  reported  this  year  was  but  little  more 
than  three  thousand;  the  increase  since  the  preceding 
General  Conference  less  than  nineteen  thousand.  The 
aggregate  strength  of  the  Church  was,  however,.mighty  ; 
it  amounted  to  about  two  hundred  and  fourteen  thousand 
members,  and  seven  hundred  traveling  preachers.  Meth- 
odism had  especially  prevailed  in  the  great  West;  its 
"  old  Western  Conference,"  now  comprising  two  Confer- 
ences, reported  more  than  one  fifth  of  the  whole  member- 
ship of  the  Church. 


214 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OP 


HIS  SERVICES  IX  THE  CONFERENCE. 

The  Journal  of  the  General  Conference  shows  that  few- 
delegates  were  more  active  or  more  influential  in  the  pro- 
ceedings of  this  session  than  Nathan  Bangs.  He  was 
the  first  named  on  the  committee  to  whom  were  referred 
the  Episcopal  Address  of  M'Kendree,  and  the  posthu- 
mous address  of  Asbury ;  and  in  the  report  of  the  com- 
mittee defined,  to  a  considerable  extent,  the  course  of 
business  which  has  ever  since  been  pursued  in  the  Con- 
ference, by  proposing  committees  on  the  Episcopacy,  the 
Book  Concern,  Ways  and  Means,  Review  and  Revision, 
Safety  and  Temporal  Economy.  Some  of  these  committees 
had  been  anticipated  at  the  previous  session,  but  they 
Avere  now  definitively,  and  it  may  be  said  permanently 
established.  He  was  appointed  chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  Ways  and  Means.  He  proposed  a  Committee 
on  Local  Preachers,  and  was  appointed  a  member  of 
it,  and  also  chairman  of  the  Committee'  to  prepare  an 
Address  to  the  English  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society, 
and  a  member  of  the  Committee  to  revise  the  Discipline. 
In  his  manuscript  account  of  the  session  he  says :  "  At 
this  Conference  there  were  some  important  changes  made 
in  our  temporal  economy.  The  '  allowance'  of  the  preach- 
ers and  their  wives  was  raised  from  eighty  to  one  hund- 
red dollars  each,  and  the  Quarterly  Conference  was 
authorized  to  make  provision,  by  appointment  of  a  com- 
mittee for  that  purpose,  for  the  family  expenses  of  the 
preachers  stationed  among  them.  Being  a  member  of 
the  committee  on  this  part  of  our  economy,  I  drew  up  the 
rules  o'f  the  Discipline  on  these  subjects,  and,  of  course, 
was  an  advocate  for  them.  The  same  committee  re- 
ported the  rule,  which  was  this  year  incorporated  into 
the  Discipline,  requiring  a  course  of  study  for  candidates 
for  the  ministry.  I  was  the  author  of  this  rule.  These 
measures  encountered  great  opposition  from  many  dele- 
gates, and  were  debated  through  three  or  four  days. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


215 


They  were  amended  in  such  various  ways  that  we  could 
make  nothing  of  them.  I  finally  proposed  to  a  brother 
delegate,  Stephen  G.  Roszel,  that  if  he  would  second  my 
motion  I  would  move  to  lay  all  the  amendments  on  the 
table,  and  take  up  the  original  report  of  the  committee 
and  adopt  it.  To  this  he  assented,  and  the  resolutions, 
as  seen  in  the  Discipline,  were  adopted.  That  these 
regulations  have  had  a  salutary  influence  on  the  Church 
I  have  no  doubt,  and  therefore  I  reflect  with  much 
pleasure  on  the  agency  I  had  in  drafting  the  report  and 
in  its  adoption." 

Both  these  measures  were,  indeed,  inestimably  im- 
portant as  forward  movements — the  beginning  of  those 
advancements  in>the  support  and  literary  improvement 
of  the  ministry  which  have  ever  since  continued.  It  re- 
quired a  man  who  was  in  advance  of  the  times  to  initiate 
such  changes,  slight  as  they  were,  compared  with  their 
later  progress,  and  it  required  no  small  amount  of  moral 
courage  to  withstand  the  hostile  debate  they  provoked 
in  the  Conference,  and  persistently  to  press  them  to  a 
successful  issue. 

To  the  Book  Concern  he  gave  special  attention  in  the 
proceedings  of  this  session,  for  he  saw  clearly  its  future 
importance  as  an  engine  of  moral  and  literary  power  in 
the  Church  and  the  nation.  He  offered  a  resolution  in- 
structing its  agents  to  publish  a  monthly  magazine.  The 
motion  was  promptly  defeated,  but  was  subsequently 
reproduced  in  the  Report  of  the  Committee  on  the  Book 
Concern  and  adopted,  not,  however,  without  a  severe 
contest.  He  had  advocated  this  measure  in  the  session 
of  1812;  of  that  session  lie  says:  "The  importance  of 
publishing  a  periodical  work  Avas  strongly  urged  by  some 
of  the  leading  members,  and  strenuously  opposed  by 
others.  The  subject  was  referred  to  the  consideration 
of  the  Book  Concern  Committee,  and  they  finally  recom- 
mended, and  the  Conference  concurred,  'That  the  book 
agents  be  directed  to  resumo  the  publication  of  tho 


216 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


Methodist  Magazine,  two  volumes  having  been  pub- 
lished, (namely,  in  1789  and  1790,)  to  commence  pub- 
lishing the  third  volume,  at  furthest,  by  January  next.' 
The  mandate  of  the  Conference  was,  however,  never 
obeyed,  and,  unhappily  for  the  literature  and  character 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  we  had  no  magazine, 
nor  scarcely  any  publication  of  American  growth  until 
1818,  when  the  Methodist  Magazine  was  recommenced. 
During  a  number  of  years  it  appears  that  education  of 
all  sorts,  as  Avell  as  writing  for  the  public  eye,  was  laid 
aside  as  useless,  and  we  seem  to  have  come  to  the  strange 
conclusion  that  we  had  naught  else  to  do  than  simply 
preach  the  Gospel,  and  attend  to  those  other  duties 
which  are  connected  with  the  pastoral  office,  in  order  to 
insure  the  blessing  of  God  on  our  labors;  hence,  the 
Magazine  had  been  discontinued  for  more  than  twenty 
years,  and  scarcely  anything  issued  from  our  press,  except 
what  was  imported  from  Europe,  and  much  of  this  was 
brought  before  the  public  through  other  mediums. 
Here  and  there  a  small  pamphlet  made  its  appearance, 
but  only  to  disappear,  generally  before  it  had  time  to 
breathe  the  breath  of  life ;  for  it  seemed  to  be  taken  for 
granted  that  American  Methodists  were  doomed  to  a 
state  of  nonage,  which  unfitted  them  to  instruct  one 
another  through  the  medium  of  the  press.  It  is  true 
that  a  few  sighed  over  this  state  of  things,  and  some- 
times vented  their  feelings  to  one  another  in  accents  of 
sorrow  and  regret,  but  they  almost  despaired  of  obtain- 
ing redress.  When  assailed  by  our  adversaries  we  had 
no  adequate  means  of  defense,  and  hence  the  reading 
public  were  left  to  draw  their  own  inferences  respecting 
Methodist  doctrines  and  economy  from  the  distorted 
representations  of  those  who  felt  it  their  duty  to  carica- 
ture us.  From  these  humiliating  facts  it  became  pro- 
verbial that  the  'Methodists  were  enemies  to  learning.' 
It  must  be  confessed  that  there  was  too  much  reason  for 
the  taunting  remark,  and  it  was  not  without  much  labor 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


217 


that  the  reproach  has  heen,  in  some  measure  at  least, 
rolled  away  from  us." 

He  may  thus  be  said  to  have  been  the  chief  founder 
of  the  periodical  literature  of  American  Methodism  ; 
and  he  is  but  the  more  entitled  to  this  honor  by  the  fact 
that  the  experiment  made  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century 
before  had  been  a  complete  failure. 

DEATHS  OF  COKE  AND  ASBUBY. 

This  General  Conference  was  solemnized  and  sadden 
ed  by  the  death,  since  the  preceding  session,  of  its  first 
two  bishops — men  who,  in  our  times,  are  constantly 
rising  in  historical  importance  by  the  results  of  their  ex- 
traordinary services.  Bishop  Coke  had  died  on  the  3d 
of  May,  1814,  on  his  voyage  to  the  East,  and  was  buried 
in  the  Indian  Ocean.  Neither  Wesley  nor  Whitefield 
exceeded  him  in  ministerial  travels.  It  is  probable  that 
no  Methodist  of  his  day,  it  is  doubtful  whether  any 
Protestant  of  his  day,  contributed  more  from  his  own 
property  for  the  promotion  of  religion.  He  spent  nearly 
forty  years  in  scarcely  intermitted  travels  for  the  Gos- 
pel; he  crossed  the  Atlantic  eighteen  times;  he  was  the 
founder  of  the  Wesleyan  Missions  in  the  West  Indies, 
Africa,  Asia,  in  England,  Wales,  and  Ireland;  he  was 
the  official  director  of  the  Wesleyan  missionary  opera- 
tions from  their  origin  till  about  the  year  of  his  death ; 
he  was  the  first  who  suggested  to  Wesley  the  constitu- 
tional organization  of  English  Methodism  as  provided 
in  the  "  Deed  of  Declaration ;"  and  he  was  the  found- 
er, under  Wesley,  of  the  episcopal  government  of 
American  Methodism.  He  was  the  first  Protestant 
bishop  of  the  Western  Hemisphere.  By  both  the  ex- 
tent and  the  still  greater  results  of  his  services  he  must 
be  pronounced  one  of  the  chief  representative  men  of 
modern  religious  history,  if  not  indeed,  as  Asbury  de- 
clared, "  the  greatest  man  of  the  last  century  in  labors 
and  services  as  a  minister  of  Christ." 


218 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


Asbury  died  in  Virginia,  about  two  months  before  the 
session  of  the  General  Conference,  aged  more  than  sev- 
enty years,  and  after  preaching  more  than  half  a  century. 
He  had  labored,  as  a  founder  of  Methodism  in  America, 
about  forty-five  years.  His  last  sermon  was  delivered 
in  Richmond,  Va.,  on  the  24th  of  March,  1816  ;  he  had 
to  be  assisted  into  the  pulpit,  and  to  sit  while  preaching. 
He  was  buried  in  Spottsylvania,  but  his  remains  were 
disinterred  and  taken  to  Baltimore,  where  the  Conference 
entombed  them,  with  solemn  ceremonies,  beneath  the 
pulpit  of  Eutaw-street  Church.  Dr.  Bangs,  to  whom 
he  had  been  as  a  father,  has  recorded  his  best  eulogy : 
"  His  attitude  in  the  pulpit  was  graceful,  dignified,  and 
solemn;  his  voice  full  and  commanding;  his  enunciation 
clear  and  distinct ;  and  sometimes  a  sudden  burst  of 
eloquence  would  break  forth  in  a  manner  which  spoke  a 
soul  full  of  God,  and,  like  a  mountain  torrent,  swept  all 
before  it.  During  the  forty-five  years  of  his  ministry  in 
America,  allowing  that  he  preached  on  an  average  one 
sermon  a  day — and  he  often  preached  three  times  on  a 
Sabbath — he  delivered  not  less  than  sixteen  thousand 
four  hundred  and  twenty-five  sermons,  besides  lectures 
to  the  societies,  and  meeting  classes.  Allowing  him  six 
thousand  miles  a  year,  which  it  is  believed  he  generally 
exceeded,  he  must  have  traveled,  during  the  same  time, 
about  two  hundred  and  seventy  thousand  miles,  much  of 
it  on  the  very  worst  roads.  From  the  time  of  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Church,  in  1784,  to  the  period  of  his  death, 
thirty-two  years,  allowing  an  average  of  seven  Conferen- 
ces a  year,  he  sat  in  no  less  than  two  hundred  and 
twenty-four  Annual  Conferences,  and  in  their  infancy 
their  business  devolved  chiefly  upon  himself;  and  he 
probably  consecrated,  including  traveling  and  local 
preachers,  more  than  four  thousand  persons  to  the 
sacred  office  !  Here  then  is  a  missionary  bishop  worthy 
of  the  name,  whose  example  may  be  held  up  for  the 
imitation  of  all  who  engage  in  this  sacred  work.  His 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


219 


deadness  to  the  world,  to  human  applause,  to  riches  and 
honors,  and  his  deep  devotion  to  God,  made  an  impres- 
sion upon  all  who  witnessed  his  spirit  and  conduct  that 
he  was  actuated  by  the  purest  and  most  elevated  mo- 
tives. This  pervading  impression  wrought  that  confi- 
dence in  the  uprightness  of  his  intentions  and  the  wis- 
dom of  his  plans,  which  gave  him  such  a  control,  over 
both  preachers  and  people,  as  enabled  him  to  discharge 
the  high  trusts  confided  to  him  with  so  much  facility 
and  to  such  general  satisfaction.  Hence  the  apparent 
ease  with  which  he  managed  the  complicated  machinery 
of  Methodism,  guided  the  councils  of  the  Conferences, 
fixed  the  stations  of  the  preachers,  and  otherwise  exer 
cised  his  authority  for  the  general  good  of  the  entire 
body."* 

In  his  manuscript  notes  of  this  Conference  I  find 
equally  emphatic  words  in  praise  of  this  great  man,  but 
qualified  by  frank  though  tender  animadversions  on  his 
administration.  "There  are,"  he  says,  "two  j>articulars 
in  which  I  always  thought  Bishop  Asbury  erred.  I 
speak  indeed  with  great  deference  when  I  presume  to 
differ  from  such  a  man,  for  I  cannot  but  feel  a  profound 
veneration  for  his  character.  I  think,  however,  that  he 
showed  not  enough  interest  for  the  intellectual  improve- 
ment of  the  preachers  and  too  great  a  solicitude  to  keep 
them  poor.  If  he  had  encouraged  measures  to  provide 
a  competency  for  men  of  heavy  and  expensive  families, 
and  promoted  human  learning  as  a  subordinate  help  to 
the  ministry,  I  think  he  would  have  thus  rendered  essen- 
tial service  to  the  Church.  Having  no  family  of  his  own 
to  provide  for,  he  did  not  sympathize  with  parental 
affections  and  anxieties  as  he  otherwise  would  have  done ; 
and  hence  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  he  was  not  suffi- 
ciently attentive  to  the  sufferings  of  many  of  the  preach- 
ers and  their  families  in  the  frequent  and  distant  remov- 
als to  which  they  were  subjected.    That  there  were 

*  History  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  vol.  ii,  book  v,  chap.  2. 


220 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


faults  in  his  administration  I  think  all  who  witnessed  it 
must  allow.  He  knew  well  the  history  of  the  early- 
Church  ;  he  knew  that  wealth  and  '  science,  falsely  so 
called,'  had  corrupted  it,  and  he  feared  their  influence  on 
Methodism.  But  whatever  defects  there  might  have 
been  in  these  particulars  of  his  policy,  his  inextinguisha- 
ble zeal  for  the  salvation  of  men,  his  large  views  of 
God's  immense  love  for  our  lost  world,  his  thorough 
knowledge  of  theology,  his  deep  experience  of  the 
grace  of  God,  his  manly  as  well  as  his  Christian  virtues, 
his  unparalleled  labors,  his  patient  sufferings  for  so  long 
a  time,  uncqualed  by  those  of  any  of  his  preachers,  his 
masterly  ability  in  directing  the  operations  of  the  Church 
over  much  of  the  continent,  justly  secured  to  him  the 
confidence  of  his  brethren  and  the  veneration  and  won- 
der of  all  who  knew  him." 

VIEWS  OF  THE  MINISTERIAL  "CALL." 

These  animadversions,  even  should  they  be  deemed 
not  altogether  relevant  to  Asbury,  are  nevertheless  rele- 
vant here,  as  illustrations  of  the  advanced  views  of  min- 
isterial qualification  and  support  which  Dr.  Bangs  took 
at  this  early  period,  and  which  he  promoted  throughout 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  more  effectually  perhaps  than 
any  other  man  of  his  denomination.  He  insisted  on  the 
effective  support  of  the  preachers,  not  merely  for  their 
comfort,  but  for  their  moral  safety.  An  incredibly  large 
proportion  of  them  "  located  "  in  that  day  after  a  few 
years  of  travel.  The  itinerant  ministry  lost,  in  this  M  ay, 
many  of  its  most  effective  men.  Believing  the  holy 
office  to  be  a  "  vocation,"  not  merely  a  "  profession," 
he  could  not  admit  the  right  of  a  preacher  to  retire  from 
it  unless  providentially  permitted  by  extreme  disability 
of  health  or  other  insuperable  necessity.  No  man 
divinely  called  to  the  office  could  leave  it  without  a 
Divine  revocation  of  the  "  call."  One  of  the  few  sur- 
viving Methodists  of  the  Tihinebeck  district,  of  this 


>  A  THAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


221 


period,  writes  me  :  "I  lived  in  Winsted,  Conn.  While 
at  our  Quarterly  Meeting  there,  Dr.  Bangs  stayed  at 
my  home.  After  love-feast,  on  Sunday  morning,  he 
stepped  into  the  house  before  preaching  to  take  some 
refreshment.  While  seated  at  the  table  an  aged  broth- 
er came  in,  and  seating  himself  said,  '  Elder,  I  wish 
to  ask  you  a  question  !'  '  Very  well,'  said  Dr.  Bangs, 
'  I  will  answer  you  if  I  can.'  He  then  asked,  '  If  a  man 
in  Ms  youthful  days  is  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth,  and  feels  "  woe  is  me  if  I  preach  not  the  Gospel," 
and  the  impression  continues  for  years,  but  he  refuses 
to  obey  it  and  it  finally  leaves  him,  but  he  still  strives 
to  live  a  good  life  and  dies  thus,  is  it  possible  for  him  to 
get  to  heaven  ?'  The  doctor  inclined  his  head  a  few 
minutes,  apparently  in  deep  thought,  and  then  replied, 
•  Brother,  there  may  be  a  possibility  of  his  getting  to 
heaven,  but  another  will  take  his  crown.'  The  expres- 
sion conveyed  very  much  meaning  to  my  mind,  and  has 
never  left  me."* 

With  such  an  opinion,  he  trembled  for  his  brethren 
who,  after  making  good  proof  of  their  ministry,  retreated 
from  the  field,  in  the  prime  of  life,  to  secular  occupa- 
tions ;  and  he  demanded  that  the  Church  should  relieve 
itself  from  any  share  in  the  responsibility  of  their 
failure,  for  with  it  was  that  responsibility  more  than 
with  them. 

*  Letter  of  Reuben  Hall  to  the  author. 


222 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OP 


CHAPTER  XV. 

NEW  YORK  CONFERENCE,  1817. 

Dr.  Bangs's  four  yeau'  term  of  service  on  the  Rkine- 
beck  district  expired  June  3,  1817.  On  that  day  the 
New  York  Conference  began  its  session  in  Middlebury, 
Vt. — a  singular  collocation  of  names  to  our  eyes — the 
New  York  Conference  sitting  in  an  interior  town  of  Ver- 
mont. But,  as  we  have  seen,  "ther*e  were  giants  in 
those  days,"  and  most  of  their  plans  present  gigantic 
proportions.  The  New  York  Conference  still  comprised 
more  than  half  of  Connecticut,  a  large  part  of  Western 
Massachusetts,  all  Vermont  west  of  the  Green  Mountains, 
and  Eastern  New  York,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson 
to  the  Canada  line.  Though  it  had  given  the  Canadas 
to  Genesee  Conference,  it  still  reported  more  than 
twenty-one  thousand  communicants. 

Among  the  recruits  whom  he  welcomed  on  probation 
before  the  Conference,  at  this  time,  were  his  faithful 
friends,  Fitch  Reed,  John  M.  Smith,  and  J.  J.  Matthias ; 
and  among  the  candidates  received  into  full  membership 
was  his  own  brother,  Heman  Bangs,  who  still  survives, 
an  effective  laborer,  after  so  many  years  of  itinerant 
service. 

Nathan  Bangs  was  appointed  by  this  Conference  to 
New  York  city,  where  he  was  welcomed  by  his  forrrHi* 
hearers  with  the  warmest  cordiality.  His  presiding 
elder  was  Samuel  Merwin,  a  great  man  of  that  day ;  his 
colleagues  were  Daniel  Ostrander,  Seth  Crowell,  and 
Samuel  Howe.  His  old  friends  of  the  city  could  not  fail 
to  notice  his  rapid  improvement  as  a  preacher,  and, 
though  he  was  not  in  charge  of  the  station,  he  was  fore- 


NATHAN"  BAXGS,  D.D. 


223 


most  among  his  colleagues,  ill  the  public  recognition,  as  a 
man  of  intellect  and  of  pulpit  power. 

studies — writings. 

He  gave  himself  diligently  to  study,  especially  in  the- 
ology and  mental  philosophy.  In  the  latter  department 
of  inquiry  he  had  long  since  mastered  Locke,  the  favor- 
ite metaphysical  author  of  his  youth ;  he  now  mastered 
Berkeley,  Beattie,  Hume;  and  the  "Scotch  Metaphy- 
sicians"— who  were  the  great  authorities  of  the  science — 
Bead,  Stewart,  and  Brown.  He  has  left  notes  of  these 
studies,  which  prove  his  vivid  interest  in  them  and  his 
aptitude  for  them.  Reid's  "Essays  on  the  Intellectual 
Faculties  and  Active  Powers"  were  especially  his  de- 
light ;  he  made  an  ample  synopsis  of  them  in  his  com- 
monplace-book, and  considered  them  the  best  solution 
of  the  chief  problems  of  the  science  which  had  yet  been 
given  to  the  world. 

He  foimd  it  necessary  again  to  appear  in  the  lists  as  a 
polemic.  His  letters  on  Hopkinsianism  were  severely 
treated  in  a  published  sermon  by  Rev.  Mr.  Haskil,  of 
Burlington,  Vt.  The  Methodist  preachers  of  that  state 
urged  him  to  reply  to  it,  alleging  that  the  discourse  was 
having  injurious  influence  upon  their  communities.  He 
answered  it  in  a  small  volume  entitled  "Predestination 
Examined."  "Soon  after,"  he  says,  "Mr.  Williston 
sent  out  a  second  volume,  in  reply  to  the  '  Errors  of 
Hopkinsianism,'  called  'A  Vindication  of  some  of  the 
Essential  Doctrines  of  the  Reformation.'  This  attempt 
to  identify  the  peculiarities  of  Hopkinsianism  with  the 
essential  doctrines  of  the  Reformation  called  forth  my 
'Reformer  Reformed,'  the  title  being  suggested  by  the 
conviction  that  if  the  Reformation  carried  with  it  errors 
of  such  a  pernicious  consequence  as  it  was  believed  must 
flow  from  the  doctrine  of  an  efficient  operation  of  uni- 
versal and  immutable  decrees  the  Reformation  itself 
needed  reforming — a  sentiment  not  retracted  on  more 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


mature  consideration.  It  by  no  means  becomes  me 
to  express  an  opinion  of  the  character  or  results  of  this 
protracted  discussion,  though  I  may  be  allowed  to  in- 
dulge a  hope  that  it  had  its  use  in  bringing  our  doctrines 
more  prominently  before  the  public,  in  rectifying  some 
erroneous  impressions  respecting  our  ministry  and  usages, 
and  in  awakening  public  attention  to  the  precise  points 
of  difference  between  us  and  our  Calviuistic  opponents. 
We  were  called  upon  to  sustain  an  arduous  conflict  with 
our  brethren  of  other  denominations,  as  well  as  with 
some  of  our  own  household,  who,  for  various  reasons, 
'  went  out  from  us,'  in  order  to  rescue  our  ministry  from 
reproach,  and  our  doctrines,  government,  and  usages 
from  the  numerous  objections  which  were  preferred 
against  them." 

He  esteemed  his  book  "Predestination  Examined" 
"the  best"  of  his  "  writings,  in  point  of  argumentation." 
"Mr.  Haskil,"  he  adds,  "was  an  able  writer,  and  an  in- 
genious though,  I  cannot  but  think,  somewhat  unfair 
antagonist.  I  printed  an  edition  of  three  thousand  of 
this  work,  and  it  passed  through  a  second  edition.  I 
found  it  necessary  to  guard  against  the  influence  of  so 
much  controversy  on  my  own  peace  of  mind ;  but  as  I 
acted  from  a  consciousness  of  duty,  and  in  the  fear  of 
God,  I  felt  consoled  and  strengthened  in  the  performance 
of  this  labor.  As  I  had  not  the  charge  of  the  Church  in 
the  city  this  year,  I  had  the  more  leisure  to  pursue  my 
studies  and  attend  to  my  other  duties.  At  the  Confer- 
ence at  Middlebury,  Vt.,  I  moved  for  a  committee  to  re- 
vise our  hymn  book,  and,  as  I  was  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee, a  portion  of  my  time  was  spent  in  this  laborious 
task.  The  manner  in  which  it  was  performed  may  be 
seen  in  the  preface  to  the  book,  as  published  in  1820." 
He  thus  provided  the  hymn  book,  the  virtual  liturgy  of 
American  Methodism,  as  it  was  used  for  about  thirty 
years  throughout  the  continent,  except  the  British 
Provinces. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


225 


LABORS  STUDIES  OLD  JOHN-STREET. 

"  Among  other  things,"  he  continues,  "  I  revived  the 
catechetical  instruction  in  the  Duane-street  Church,  near 
which  I  lived.  It  had  been  discontinued  from  the  time  I 
had  left  the  city.  Among  others  who  attended  my  class, 
Mrs.  Palmer,  and  her  sister,  Mrs.  Langford,  who  have 
since  been  among  the  most  devoted  and  useful  of  our 
Church-members,  may  be  mentioned.  I  cannot  but  look 
back  with  grateful  satisfaction  upon  these  efforts  to  im- 
j>art  religious  instruction  to  the  young." 

While  pursuing  these  studies,  controversies,  and  pas- 
toral labors,  he  appeared  habitually  in  the  pulpit,  armed 
with  the  power  of  the  Divine  Word.  Preaching  was, 
indeed,  his  mightiest  instrument ;  his  congregations 
were  thronged,  and  the  Societies  flourished.  At  the  end 
of  his  first  year  they  reported  an  increase  of  more  than 
three  hundred  members,  and  their  aggregate  member- 
ship was  more  than  three  thousand.  This  success  was 
marred,  however,  by  serious  internal  troubles.  "As 
these  difficulties,"  he  writes,  "  resulted  at  last  in  the  se- 
cession of  a  considerable  number  of  our  member's,  headed 
by  a  preacher,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  allude  to  some  of 
the  circumstances  which  caused  the  rupture.  A  party 
spirit  had  prevailed  for  some  time  between  the  '  down- 
town' and  '  up-town'  members,  but  it  did  not  amount  to 
anything  very  serious  until  the  trustees  commenced  re- 
building John-street  Church.  As  it  was  resolved  that 
the  new  edifice  should  be  an  improvement  on  the  archi- 
tectural style  of  the  old  one,  some  discontented  spirits 
made  this  a  pretext  for  discord,  and,  unhappily  for  the 
peace  of  the  Church,  the  preacher  in  charge,  being  dis- 
pleased because  he  was  not  invited  to  dedicate  the 
church,  lent  the  weight  of  his  influence  to  the  disaffected 
party,  while  the  great  majority  of  the  preachers  and 
people  were  in  favor  of  the  measures  of  the  trustees.  He 
went  so  far  as  to  say,  in  a  love-feastj  that  he  wished  the 
15 


226 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


new  building  were  cast  into  the  ocean.  This,  of  course, 
increased  the  irritation,  and  tended  to  make  the  dispute 
more  irremediable.  Several  ineffectual  attempts  were 
made  to  restore  harmony,  but  it  seemed  impossible." 

The  measure  however  proceeded,  and  on  the  13th  of 
March,  1817,  the  walls  of  the  old  structure  were  demol- 
ished, after  an  address  by  Rev.  Daniel  Ostrander  to  a 
large  assembly  of  spectators.  On  the  4th  of  January, 
1818,  the  new  church  was  dedicated  by  Dr.  Bangs,  in  a 
discourse  on  the  text,  "  The  Lord  hath  done  great  things 
for  us,  whereof  we  are  glad."  Sermons  were  delivered 
in  it  the  same  day  by  Samuel  Merwin  and  Joshua  Soule. 
It  is  described  as  "one  of  the  most  commodious  and 
beautiful  chapels  in  the  city"  at  that  time,  and  a  model 
for  many  later  structures  in  the  country.  Engravings, 
however,  represent  it  so  extremely  plain  as  to  excite  our 
wonder  that  it  could  have  been  the  occasion  of  any 
scruple,  much  less  of  violent  discord.  The  dispute,  never- 
theless, continued.  "  In  this  unhappy  state,"  says  Dr. 
Bangs,  "I  came  into  the  charge  of  the  city  circuit  in 
1818.  What  rendered  my  position  much  more  embar- 
rassing was,  that  one  of  my  colleagues  threw  himself  into 
the  ranks  of  the  disaffected  party,  and  did  what  he  could 
to  frustrate  my  plaus  for  peace.  Truth  requires  me  to 
say  that  he  acted  in  a  most  discreditable  manner,  im- 
pugning my  motives  and  misrepresenting  my  conduct, 
'while  I  was  endeavoring,  in  every  possible  way,  to  save 
the  Church  from  division.  While  the  storm  raged  around 
me,  threatening  to  sweep  everything  overboard,  I  trem- 
bled for  our  cause,  wept  and  prayed,  and  the  Lord  strength- 
ened my  heart  and  kept  my  head  above  the  waters." 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY. 

The  issue  was  delayed  a  short  time.  Meanwhile,  amid 
these  strifes,  occurred  one  of  the  most  important  events 
in  the  history  of  Methodism:  the  "Missionary  Society"  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  arose,  spanning  the 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


227 


local  storm,  and  throwing  out  its  vision  of  beauty  and 
blessing  to  distant  eyes,  a  bow  of  gladdening  and  sub- 
lime promise.  One  of  its  original  managers  says :  "  Dr. 
Bangs  may  justly  be  called  the  father  of  the  Missionary 
Society.  He  was  at  its  organization  in  the  Second- 
street  (now  Forsyth-street)  Church,  and  for  many  years 
was  its  main  pillar.  Indeed,  we  may  well  say  that 
his  whole  public  life  was  spent  in  the  missionary  cause. 
His  ministerial  travels  in  the  wilds  of  Canada,  before  the 
ordiuary  roads  were  made,  were  a  genuine  missionary 
service,  and  he  then  zealously  befriended  the  Indian. 
The  red  men  to  this  day  speak  of  him  as  the  great  mis- 
sionary from  the  states.  I  remember  meeting  Captain 
Beaver,  one  of  the  tribe  at  Grape  Island ;  he  wished  to 
ask  some  questions  regarding  Dr.  Bangs,  and,  not  recall- 
ing his  name,  immediately  described  him  as  the  'big 
missionary  from  New  York,  with  his  head  on  one 
shoulder.' "  * 

He  "  had  long,"  says  his  manuscript,  "  felt  the  neces- 
sity of  this  measure  for  the  extension  of  our  work  among 
the  poor,  the  colored  people,  the  Indians,  and  as  a  relief 
to  many  of  our  suffering  preachers."  As  it  was  designed 
to  ai4  domestic  as  well  as  foreign  missions,  an  adaptation 
which  it  still  retains,  he  considered  it  not  only  a  promis- 
ing means  of  foreign  propagandism,  but  as  particularly 
favoring  his  views  of  ministerial  support  in  the  destitute 
portions  of  the  domestic  field  of  the  denomination.  He 
jpade  it,  therefore,  the  theme  of  much  preliminary 
conversation  with  his  colleagues  and  the  principal 
Methodist  laymen  of  the  city.  His  still  surviving 
friend,  Rev.  Dr.  Laban  Clark,  introduced  it  by  a  resolu- 

*  Letter  of  Francis  Hall,  Esq.,  to  the  author.  All  who  knew  Dr. 
Bangs  will  understand  the  idlusion.  Ilis  head  habitually  inclined  to 
his  right  shoulder.  It  is  reported,  as  an  amusing  fact,  that  the  young 
preachers  from  his  district  could  be  readily  distinguished  in  the  An- 
nual Conference  by  their  unconscious  imitation  of  their  admired  Elder's 
bearing  in  this  respect.  If  tho  imitatiop  extended  to  most  of  his  other 
peculiarities  it  was  quite  pardonable. 


228 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OP 


tion  to  the  attention  of  the  metropolitan  preachers  at 
their  weekly  meeting,  "  consisting,"  says  Dr.  Bangs's 
manuscript,  "  of  Freeborn  Garrettson,  Samuel  Merwin, 
Laban  Clark,  Samuel  Howe,  Seth  Crowell,  Thomas 
Thorp,  Joshua  Soule,  Thomas  Mason,  and  myself.  After 
an  interchange  of  thoughts  the  resolution  was  adopted, 
and  Garrettson,  Clark,  and  myself  were  appointed  a 
committee  to  draft  a  constitution.  When  this  commit- 
tee met  we  agreed  to  write,  each,  a  constitution,  then 
come  together,  compare  them,  and  adopt  the  one  which 
should  be  considered  the  most  suitable.  The  one  pre- 
pared by  myself  was  adopted,  submitted  to  the  Preach- 
ers' Meeting,  and,  after  some  slight  verbal  alterations, 
was  finally  approved.  We  then  agreed  to  call  a  public 
meeting  in  the  Forsyth-street  Church  on  the  evening  of 
the  5th  of  April,  1819,  which  was  accordingly  done.  I 
was  called  to  the  chair,  and  after  the  reading  of  the  con- 
stitution Joshua  Soule  moved  its  adoption,  and  support- 
ed his  motion  by  a  powerful  speech,  concluding  by  an 
appeal  to  the  people  to  come  forward  and  subscribe  it. 
He  was  seconded  by  Freeborn  Garrettson,  who  also 
plead  in  favor  of  the  scheme,  from  his  own  experience  in 
the  itinerant  field  from  Virginia  to  Nova  Scotia.  ^The 
constitution  was  unanimously  adopted,  and  the  follow  - 
ing officers  were  chosen :  Bishop  M'Kendree,  President ; 
Bishops  George  and  Roberts,  and  Nathan  Bangs,  Vice- 
Presidents  ;  Thomas  Mason,  Corresponding  Secretary ; 
Joshua  Soule,  Treasurer;  Francis  Hall,  Clerk;  Daniel 
Ayres,  Recording  Secretary.* 

*  The  following  managers  were  also  chosen :  Joseph  Smith,  Robert 
Mathison,  Joseph  Sandford,  George  Suckley,  Samuel  L.  Waldo,  Stephen 
Dando,  Samuel  B.  Harper,  Lancaster  S.  Burling,  William  Duval,  Paul 
Hick,  John  Westfield,  Thomas  Boby,  Benjamin  Disbrow,  James  B. 
(iascoigne,  William  A.  Mercein,  Philip  J.  Arcularius,  James  B.  Oakley, 
George  Caines,  Dr.  Seaman,  Dr.  Gregory,  John  Boyd,  M.  H.  Smith, 
Nathaniel  Jarvis,  Robert  Snow,  Andrew  Mercein,  Joseph  Moser,  John 
Paradise,  William  Myers,  William  B.  Skidmore,  Nicholas  Schureman, 
James  Woods,  Abraham  Paul. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


229 


He  was  not  only  chairman  of  the  Preachers'  Meeting 
at  which  this  great  scheme  was  initiated,  the  author  of 
its  constitution,  and  president  of  the  first  public  meeting 
for  its  adoption,  but,  as  its  only  resident  vice-president, 
he  became  its  first  actually  presiding  officer.  As  such  he 
was  chairman  of  its  Board  of  Managers,  and  at  their  re- 
quest prepared  its  first  "  Address,"  and  its  first  "  Circu- 
lar "  to  the  Annual  Conferences.  The  historian  of  the 
society  says  :  "  It  is  obvious  that  almost  the  entire  busi- 
ness of  the  Society  was  conducted  by  him  for  many 
years.  In  addition  to  writing  the  constitution,  the  ad- 
dress and  circular,  he  was  the  author  of  every  Annual 
Report,  with  but  one  exception,  from  the  organization 
of  the  society  down  to  the  year  1841,  a  period  of  twenty- 
two  0Bars.  He  filled  the  offices  of  Corresponding  Secre- 
tary and  Treasurer  for  sixteen  years,  without  a  salary  or 
compensation  of  any  kind,  untd  his  appointment  to  the 
first  named  office  by  the  General  Conference  of  1836. 
That  he  has  contributed  more  than  any  other  man  living 
to  give  character  to  our  missionary  operations,  by  the 
productions  of  his  pen  and  his  laborious  personal  efforts, 
is  a  well  authenticated  fact,  which  the  history  of  the 
Church  fully  attests."* 

"  There  is  no  act,"  wrote  Dr.  Bangs  years  afterward, 
"there  is  no  act  of  my  life  upon  which  I  reflect  with 
greater  pleasure  than  my  agency  in  the  formation  of 
this  Society,  as  it  has  been  instrumental  in  extending 
the  work  of  God  in  many  directions  at  home  and 
abroad."  In  this  single  instance  of  his  manifold  public 
life  he  was  to  be  identified  with  a  grand  religious  his- 
tory. He  was  to  see  the  annual  receipts  of  the  Society 
enlarged  from  the  $823  of  its  first  year  to  $250,374, 
(including  its  offspring  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  to  half  a  million,)  and  its  total  receipts, 
down  to  the  last  year  of  his  life,  more  than  four 

*  Strickland's  History  of  the  Missions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  etc.,  chap.  i. 


280 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


and  a  half  millions,  not  including  the  southern  So- 
ciety. He  was  to  witness  the  rise  (chiefly  under  the 
auspices  of  this  Society)  of  American  German  Meth- 
odism, an  epochal  fact  in  the  history  of  his  Church, 
next  in  importance  to  the  founding  of  the  Church  by 
Embury  and  Strawbridge.  Without  a  missionary  for 
some  time  after  its  origin,  the  Society  was  to  present 
to  his  dying  gaze  a  list  of  nearly  four  hundred  mis- 
sionaries and  more  than  thirty-three  thousand  mission 
communicants,  representing  the  denomination  in  many 
parts  of  the  United  States,  in  Norway,  Sweden,  Ger- 
many, Switzerland,  Bulgaria,  Africa,  India,  China,  South 
America,  and  the  Sandwich  Islands.  Assisting  in  this 
great  work,  and  rejoicing  in  its  triumphs,  he  was  to 
outlive  all  its  original  officers  but  three,  Joshua  Bpule, 
Francis  Hall,  and  Daniel  Ayres;  and  all  its  original 
managers  save  three,  Dr.  Seaman,  James  B.  Oakley,  and 
William  B.  Skidmore. 

In  the  course  of  a  year  or  two  after  the  organization 
of  the  Society  he  succeeded  Joshua  Soule  as  its  treasurer. 
In  April,  1836,  he  was  elected  the  fourth  Vice-president 
and  Corresponding  Secretary;  in  1838  the  resident  Cor- 
responding Secretary ;  and  thenceforward,  as  we  shall 
see,  devoted  his  whole  energy  to  it  down  to  1841.  All 
its  Annual  Reports  to  this  date  save  one  are  attributed 
to  his  pen.  "  It  is  supposed,"  said  his  associates  of 
the  Board  at  his  death,  "  that  he  never  missed  a  meet- 
ing, when  in  the  city,  from  the  very  first,  except  on 
account  of  sickness.  Everything  with  him  gave  place 
to  the  missionary  meeting,  being,  with  his  early  associ- 
ate, Rev.  Joshua  Soule,  of  opinion  '  that  the  time  would 
come  when  every  man  who  assisted  in  the  organization 
of  the  Society,  and  persevered  in  the  undertaking, 
would  consider  it  one  of  the  most  honorable  periods  of 
his  life.' " 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


231 


METHODIST  EDUCATION. 

While  this  important  measure  was  being  introduced, 
the  party  discord,  occasioned  by  the  rebuilding  of  John- 
street  Church,  continued,  and  was  an  oppressive  grievance 
to  him.  It  did  not  deter  him,  however,  from  attempting 
another  momentous  step  forward  ;  the  establishment  of 
the  "  Wesleyan  Seminary"  ofNew  York  city.  Methodism, 
like  the  Reformation  in  Germany  and  Switzerland,  was 
cradled  in  a  University ;  a  providental  fact,  as  has  been 
said,  for  the  cause  of  learning.  Its  most  distinguished 
founders  had  secured  to  it  a  prestige  in  favor  of  education, 
for  the  Wesleys,  Whitefield,  Coke,  Fletcher,  were  all  col- 
legiately  educated  men.  As  early  as  1 784,  the  year  of  the 
formal  organization  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
its  two  bishops,  Coke  and  Asbury,  projected  a  college ; 
its  foundation  was  laid  the  next  year  at  Abingdon, 
twenty-five  miles  from  Baltimore,  and  in  1787  it  was 
opened  with  public  ceremonies  by  Asbury.  In  1795  it 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  A  second  edifice  was  soon  after 
erected  in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  but  it  shared  the  fate 
of  its  predecessor.  Absorbed  in  other  labors,  the  de- 
nomination gave  little  or  no  attention  to  academic  edu- 
cation till,  in  1818,  Dr.  Samuel  K.  Jennings  and  other 
Methodists  attempted  a  college  in  that  city,  but  failed. 
Dr.  Bangs  deplores,  in  his  History  of  the  Church,  the  in- 
ference which  Asbury  and  the  other  American  leaders  of 
Methodism  drew  from  these  early  failures.  They  consid- 
ered them  "an  indication  of  Divine  Providence  that  it  was 
no  part  of  the  duty  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
to  engage  in  founding  and  raising  up  colleges.  On  the 
same  principle  of  reasoning  we  should  refuse  to  build 
a  church,  or  a  dwelling-house,  or  even  to  embark  in  any 
business  which  might  be  injured  by  the  elements.  Job's 
repeated  losses  were  permitted  to  try  his  patience,  and 
this  might  have  been  permitted  for  a  similar  effect  on 
the  Church." 


232 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


He  himself  never  lost  sight  of  this  great  interest,  and 
now  urged  its  claims  on  the  attention  of  the  laymen  of 
New  York,  who  had  been  consulting  for  some  time  on 
the  subject.  They  were  encouraged  by  the  example  ol 
their  New  England  brethren,  who,  about  this  time,  had,, 
chiefly  through  the  agency  of  Dr.  Martin  Ruter,  formed 
a  seminary  at  New  Market,  N.  H.,  which  was  after 
ward  'transferred  to  Wilbf  aham,  Mass.,  where  it  haa 
been  an  incalculable  blessing  to  the  denomination.  Dr. 
Bangs  brought  the  project  before  the  city  Quarterly 
Conference,  "  where,"  he  says,  "  it  met  with  -\uolent 
opposition  from  the  same  man  who  had  opposed  the  new 
John-street  Church.  The  majority,  however,  approved 
of  the  plan,  and  I  was  appointed  to  draft  a  constitution, 
which  was  adopted,  but  not  without  encountering  much 
nostility,  chiefly  from  preachers.  This  was  the  begin- 
ning of  our  exertions  in  favor  of  education.  From  the 
opposition  I  met  in  this  feeble  endeavor  in  behalf  of  so 
important  a  cause  I  often  felt  much  discouraged ;  but 
Martin  Ruter,  coming  into  the  city  about  this  time, 
strengthened  my  hands,  and  said  that  he  could  not  doubt 
that  God  had  sent  me  hither  for  this  very  purpose.  I 
therefore  persevered,  and  finally  succeeded,  by  the  help 
of  God  and  those  generous  brethren  whose  liberality 
enabled  me  to  get  the  seminary  into  operation.  We 
thought  ourselves  fortunate  in  the  selection  of  teachers, 
but,  alas !  how  short-sighted  is  man.  The  good  work 
was  to  be  severely  tested.  The  male  teacher  aposta- 
tized, and  the  preceptress,  Matilda  Thayer,  who  was  at 
that  time  a  literary  notability  by  the  success  of  some 
of  her  publications,  turned  Swedenborgian  and  left  us.* 

*  He  adds  in  a  noto :  "  The  apostasy  of  the  principal  was  of  the 
grossest  kind,  and  he  was  expelled  from  the  Church.  He  soon  became 
a  poor,  heart-broken  man,  and  died  a  premature  death.  On  his  death- 
bed I  visited  him  frequently,  and  a  more  sincere  penitent  I  never  saw. 
Believing  in  his  repentance,  and  perceiving  satisfactory  signs  of  his 
having  obtained  the  pardon  of  his  sins,  I  called  on  the  preacher  in 
charge,  Mr.  Washburn,  who  again  took  him  into  the  Church  and  gave 


NATHAN"  BANGS,  D.D. 


233 


The  seminary,  however,  struggled  on  for  several  years, 
and  was  finally  removed  to  "White  Plains,  N.  Y. 

This  seminary  was,  with  that  of  New  Hampshire,  a 
pioneer  of  Methodist  education  in  the  New  World — the 
beginning  of  that  series  of  educational  provisions  in  the 
denomination,  north  and  south,  which  was  to  number 
before  the  death  of  Dr.  Bangs  not  less  than  a  hundred 
and  twenty  institutions,  comprising  boarding  academies, 
colleges,  and  theological  schools.  Nathan  Bangs  was 
not  only  one  of  the  earliest,  but  one  of  the  most  active 
and  persistent  promoters  of  education  in  the  denomina- 
tion. Down  to  the  last  year  of  his  life,  his  zeal  for  this 
great  interest  never  abated.  His  early  New  England 
training  had  left  an  indelible  impression  of  the  import 
ance  of  sound  learning  upon  his  liberal  mind.  He  be- 
lieved that  the  success  of  Methodism  rendered  it  more 
responsible  than  any  other  American  Christian  body  for 
the  education  of  the  common  people,  immense,  masses 
of  whom  had  been  gathered  under  its  guardianship. 
Nor  did  he  fear  the  influence  of  learning  on  its  more 
intimately  religious  or  ecclesiastical  interests.  As  far  as 
these  might  be  risked  by  education  he  was  willing  to 
risk  them,  assured  that  the  result  could  not  fail  to  be 
favorable  to  genuine  religion. 

"  On  the  whole,"  he  writes,  "  the  two  years  I  spent 
in  the  city  Churches  were  a  period  of  incessant  labor,  of 
no  little  anxiety  and  trial,  and  of  much  spiritual  conso- 
lation." 

PRESIDING  ELDER  THE  STILLWELLITES. 

He  was  elevated  at  the  Conference  of  1819  to  the 
presiding  eldership  of  the  district,  which  included  the 
metropolis.  It  extended  into  the  state  of  New  York  as 
far  as  Cortland,  into  Connecticut  as  far  as  Stamford, 

him  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  supper.  He  died  in  peace.  How 
great  the  mercy  of  our  God  in  Christ  Jesus !"  Mrs.  Thayer  rejoined 
the  Church  in  the  South-west,  and,  I  believe,  died  in  its  communion. 


234 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


and  over  the  whole  of  Long  Island.  It  included  more 
than  a  score  of  itinerants,  among  whom  were  some  of 
the  strongest  men  of  that  day:  Freeborn  Garrettson, 
William  Phoebus,  Samuel  Merwin,  Laban  Clark,  Alex- 
ander M'Caine,  Marvin  Richardson,  Elijah  Woolsey,  J. 
B.  Matthias,  and  Phineas  Rice.  "  This,"  writes  Dr. 
Bangs,  "  was  a  year  of  sore  trial  to  me  on  several  ac- 
counts. My  family  was  now  large,  my  children  needed 
my  attention,  and  the  provision  for  my  support  was 
quite  inadequate.  I  endeavored,  however,  to  discharge 
my  duties  as  well  as  I  could,  and  enjoyed  much  of  the 
Divine  presence  and  consolation.  But  as  nothing  occub- 
red  out  of  the  ordinary  course  of  things,  except  the 
secession,  in  1820,  of  a  preacher,  William  M.  Stillwell, 
and  many  members  of  the  Church,  the  result  of  the  old 
quarrel  about  John-street  Church,  it  is  not  necessary  to 
make  an  extended  record  of  the  events  of  the  year. 
The  split  in  the  Church  was  marked  by  that  violence  of 
spirit  which  usually  accompanies  such  occurrences,  and 
deeply  depressed  my  mind.  I  had  to  take  officially  an 
active  part  in  the  measures  which  were  used  in  vain  to 
prevent  it,  and  of  course  I  had  to  share  in  their  respons- 
ibility and  in  the  reproach  of  those  who  stood  faithfully 
by  the  Church.  Two  trustees  and  several  class-leaders, 
with  the  members  of  their  classes,  amounting  in  all  to 
three  hundred,  withdrew  and  organized  an  independent 
sect.  They  seemed  formidable  indeed,  but  did  not  long 
continue  to  prosper  ;  most  of  them,  sooner  or  later,  be- 
came sensible  of  their  error  and  returned  to  the  Church. 
As  I  continued  in  the  city,  as  Book  Agent,  after  my 
charge  of  the  district,  I  was  well  acquainted  with  most 
of  them,  and  they  generally  came  to  me  to  make  known 
their  dissatisfaction  with  their  new  position.  At  one 
time  a  brother,  who  was  a  trustee  and  class-leader  be- 
fore he  left  us,  and  was  a  leader  still  among  the  seceders, 
came  to  me  and  said  that  there  were  three  class-leaders, 
with  their  classes,  about  seventy  persons,  who  wished 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


235 


to  return ;  but  the  class-members  wished  to  come  in  a 
body  and  to  retain  their  leaders.  He  desired  to  know  if 
there  was  any  way  by  which  this  could  be  done.  I  re 
plied  that  I  knew  of  none  except  the  usual  probation. 
'  Indeed,'  said  he,  '  I  would  rather  stand  on  probation 
six  years  than  remain  any  longer  where  I  am.'  I  went 
to  Samuel  Merwin,  who  then  had  charge  of  the  city 
stations,  and  related  to  him  their  proposition,  advising 
him  to  receive  them  en  masse,  and  let  them  remain  un- 
der their  present  leaders.  After  further  consultations 
with  them  I  had  the  happiness  to  see  them  all  restored 
to  their  former  fellowship  and  well  cured  of  their  discon- 
tent. I  believe  that  nine  tenths  of  those  who  withdrew 
came  back.  They  thus  escaped  final  shipwreck.  How 
dangerous  to  make  a  breach  in  the  Church  of  God  for 
such  trifling  reasons !  For  the  part  I  took  in  this  un- 
happy affair  I  suffered  much.  The  tongue  of  slander 
was  active,  and  some  of  my  old  friends  became  so  preju- 
diced against  me  that  they  would  not  hear  me  preach." 

The  "  Still wellite  Methodists "  remained  for  some 
time  an  anomalous  sect,  but  at  last  disappeared  from 
public  notice,  and  they  have  now  almost  disappeared 
from  the  memory  of  the  New  York  Methodists. 


236 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

SERVICES  IN  THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCE  OP  1820. 

Dr.  Bangs  had  hardly  been  on  his  district  one  year 
when  he  was  again  sent  by  his  Conference  as  one  of  its 
delegates  to  the  General  Conference,  which  began  its 
session  in  Baltimore,  May  1,  1820.  Eleven  annual  Con- 
ferences were  represented  by  delegates  who  were  mostly 
leaders  of  their  respective  sections  of  the  Church.  The 
old  Western  Conference  had  already  been  divided  into 
four  Conferences  extending  over  most  of  the  Missis- 
sippi valley.  Mississippi  Conference  was  represented  by 
two  delegates,  Thomas  Griffin  and  John  Lane ;  Missouri 
had  also  its  small  delegation  of  Jesse  Walker  and  two 
others;  Tennessee  was  more  strongly  represented  by 
Cartwright,  Axley,  Holliday,  and  two  others ;  Ohio  by 
Finley,  Collins,  Stamper,  Quinn,  and  four  more.  The 
chief  men  of  the  cis-Alleghany  Conferences  were  also 
there :  Hedding,  Merritt,  Ruter,  Pickering,  from  New  En- 
gland ;  Garrettson,  Bangs,  Merwin,  Soule,  Rice,  Sand- 
ford,  Richardson,  from  New  York;  Chamberlayne  and  Case 
from  Genesee ;  Cooper,  M'Combs,  Ware,  Lybrand,  Wells, 
Sharp,  from  Philadelphia ;  Griffith,  Waugh,  Burch,  Ros- 
zel,  Emory,  from  Baltimore  ;  Hall,  Cannon,  Drake,  from 
Virginia ;  Capers,  Andrews,  Myers,  Kennedy,  Dunwody, 
from  the  Carolinas.  Seldom  or  never  had  greater  inter- 
ests of  the  Church  come  under  the  consideration  of 
the  body  than  those  which  occupied  its  attention  at 
this  session — missions,  education,  literature,  the  hymn 
book,  the  "presiding  eldership  question,"  and  vital 
disciplinary  matters;  and  few  if  any  delegates  took  a 
more  important  part  in  these  deliberations  than  Nathan 


NATHAN  BAXGS,  D.D. 


237 


Bangs.  In  the  twenty-seven  days'  proceedings  of  the 
session  there  are  but  four  or  five  on  which  he  does 
not  appear  in  the  record  of  the  Journal  as  introduc- 
ing important  resolutions,  advocating  improvements, 
or  appointed  on  committees.  Evidently  he  now  stood 
out  before  the  Conference  and  the  denomination  as  one 
of  its  foremost  men.  He  is  associated  in  these  pro- 
ceedings with  nearly  all  those  great  measures  which 
were  destined  to  give  elevation  and  permanent  impor- 
tance to  the  Church.  He  was  chairman  of  a  committee, 
consisting  of  such  men  as  Soule  and  Merritt,  on  the  in- 
terests of  his  earliest  field  of  labor,  Canada ;  and  also  chair- 
man of  a  committee  to  prepare  a  plan  for  the  institu- 
tion of  denominational  seminaries,  a  subject  which  he 
brought  before  the  body  by  a  memorial  from  his  own 
Conference,  written  by  himself.  He  thus  initiated  the 
great  interest  of  education  in  the  General  Conference, 
having  anticipated  it  by  his  efforts  for  the  Wesleyan 
Seminary  in  New  York ;  and  in  his  report,  as  chairman 
of  the  General  Conference  Committee,  he  obtained  its 
recommendation  that  all  the  "  annual  Conferences  estab- 
lish, as  soon  as  practicable,  literary  institutions  under 
their  own  care,"  and  its  order  that  "  it  be  the  special 
duty  of  the  episcopacy  to  use  their  influence  to  carry" 
this  "  resolution  into  effect  by  recommending  the  subject 
to  each  annual  Conference."  He  brought  before  it  also 
the  Missionary  Society,  in  the  organization  of  which  he 
had  been,  as  we  have  seen,  the  principal  actor.  He 
moved  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  revise  and 
harmonize  the  book  of  Discipline,  and  was  a  member  of 
this  committee,  with  Soule,  Ostrander,  and  the  bishops. 
"With  Cooper,  Roszel,  Capers,  Emory,  and  Wells,  he  pro- 
cured the  passage  of  a  resolution  by  which  the  presid- 
ing elders  became  an  "  advisory  council,"  or  cabinet  of  the 
bishops,  in  the  appointment  of  the  preachers.  He 
advocated  the  election  of  the  presiding  elders  by  the 
annual  Conferences,  and  introduced  the  resolution  by 


238 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


which  was  appointed  the  compromise  committee  that 
reported  in  favor  of  this  measure,  modified  by  giving  to 
the  episcopacy  the  right  of  nomination.  He  was  ap- 
pointed a  member  of  this  committee.  He  was  nominated 
for  the  office  of  bishop,  though  against  his  will,  and 
failed  of  an  election  to  that  dignity  by  but  seven  votes. 
Finally  he  was  elected  the  Editor  and  Publishing  Agent 
of  the  Book  Concern  by  fifty  votes,  the  late  Bishop 
Emory  having  thirty-six. 

EDUCATION — MISSIONS. 

Referring  to  these  initial  efforts  in  the  Conference  for 
education,  he  says :  "  That  opposition  should  be  mani- 
fested to  endeavors  to  raise  the  standard  of  educa 
tion  by  any  of  the  disciples  of  the  illustrious  Wesley, 
whose  profound  learning  added  so  much  to  his  character 
as  an  evangelical  minister,  may  seem  strange  to  some. 
This,  however,  was  the  fact,  and  their  unreasonable  op- 
position, exemplified  in  a  variety  of  ways,  tended  not  a 
little  to  paralyze,  for  a  season,  the  efforts  of  those  who 
had  enlisted  in  the  cause;  while  the  apathy  of  others 
retarded  its  progress,  and  made  its  final  success  some- 
what uncertain.  And  it  has  not  been  without  much 
labor  and  persevering  industry  that  this  opposition  has 
been  measurably  overcome,  and  the  dormant  energies 
of  the  Church  awakened  and  excited  to  action  in  favor 
of  this  noble  enterprise.  Its  onward  march,  however, 
has  been  hailed  with  no  less  delight  by  its  friends  than 
deprecated  by  its  enemies,  while  its  success  thus  far  has 
added  greatly  to  the  character  which  Methodism  was 
acquiring  in  the  public  estimation.  All  we  now  want, 
to  place  our  literary  institutions  on  a  permanent  founda- 
tion, and  make  them  eminently  useful,  is  the  simultane- 
ous and  general  effort  of  the  members  and  friends  of  the 
Church  to  contribute  liberally  for  their  support  and 
endowment." 

In  his  advocacy  of  the  new  missionary  cause  before 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


239 


the  Conference  he  was  effectively  seconded  by  Dr. 
Emory,  who  had  now  become  a  leading  man  in  the 
body.  Emory  submitted  an  elaborate  report  on  the 
subject.  After  reasoning  at  length  upon  it,  he  asked, 
"  Can  we,  then,  be  listless  to  the  cause  of  missions? 
We  cannot.  Methodism  itself  is  a  missionary  system. 
Yield  the  missionary  spirit,  and  you  yield  the  very  life- 
blood  of  the  cause.  In  missionary  efforts  our  British 
orethren  are  before  us.  We  congratulate  them  on  their 
zeal  and  their  success.  But  your  committee  beg  leave 
to  entreat  this  Conference  to  emulate  their  example." 

The  Conference  adopted,  with  some  emendations,  the 
constitution  prepared  for  the  Society  by  Dr.  Bangs. 
He  thus  saw  his  great  favorite  measure  incorporated, 
it  may  be  hoped  forever,  into  the  organic  structure  of 
the  Church.  He  writes  :  "  These  doings  of  the  Confer- 
ence in  relation  to  the  Missionary  Society  exerted  a 
most  favorable  influence  upon  the  cause,  and  tended 
mightily  to  remove  the  unfounded  objections  which  ex- 
isted in  some  minds  against  this  organization." 

HISTORY  OF  THE  BOOK  CONCERN.  * 

At  the  adjournment  of  the  Conference  there  was  no 
one  of  its  delegates  who  returned  to  his  home  a  happier 
man  than  Nathan  Bangs.  He  had  witnessed  the  success 
of  his  fondest  schemes — schemes  which  his  large  mind 
saw  would  strengthen  the  very  foundations  of  the 
Church,  and  extend  its  walls  and  battlements  over  the 
land,  if  not  indeed  over  the  world.  He  had  escaped  the 
onerous  responsibilities  of  the  episcopate — always  when 
urged  upon  him  by  his  brethren,  as  it  repeatedly  was,  a 
profound  dread  to  him,  for  he  was  constitutionally  diffi- 
dent of  high  and  burdensome  trusts.  Its  interference 
with  domestic  life,  by  its  incessant  travels,  was  repug- 
nant to  his  feelings,  and  he  believed  that  he  could  serve 
the  Church  more  effectively,  and  even  with  more  real 
distinction,  by  the  pen  and  the  powerful  agency  of  the 


240 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


denominational  press.  He  says  in  his  manuscript  that 
his  "  appointment  was,  on  many  accounts,  a  very  agree- 
able one,  more  especially  as  my  wife  was  in  feeble  health, 
and  my  children  were  young  and  needed  my  care." 

The  Methodist  "Book  Concern"  is  now  the  largest 
religious  publishing  house  in  the  world.  Nathan  Bangs 
may  be  pronounced  the  founder  of  its  present  effective 
organization.  Before  his  appointment  it  had  no  premi- 
ses of  its  own,  no  printing-press,  no  bindery,  no  news- 
paper. Under  his  administration  it  was  provided  with 
them  all.  As  early  as  1769,  John  Dickins,  then  the 
only  Methodist  preacher  in  Philadelphia,  was  appointed 
"  Book  Steward "  of  the  denomination.  The  first  vol- 
ume issued  by  him  was  the  "  Christian  Pattern,"  Wes- 
ley's translation  of  a  Kcmpis's  celebrated  "  Imitation  ;" 
the  "Methodist  Discipline;"  the  "Hymn  Book;"  "Wes- 
ley's Primitive  Physic ;"  and  reprints  of  the  first  volume 
of  Wesley's  "Arminian  Magazine,"  and  Baxter's  "Saints 
Pest,"  followed.  The  only  capital  of  the  Concern  was 
about  six  hundred  dollars,  lent  to  it  by  Dickins  himself. 
In  1790  portions  of  Fletcher's  "Checks"  were  reprinted. 
In  11 9 f  a  "Book  Committee"  was  appointed,  to  whom 
all  books  were  to  be  submitted  before  their  publication 
— a  guardianship  of  its  press  which  has  ever  since  been 
maintained  by  the  Church.  In  1799  Ezekiel  Cooper 
became  Book  Steward.  "  The  Concern,"  says  Dr.  Bangs, 
"is  greatly  indebted  to  his  skillful  management  for 
its  increasing  usefulness,  as  at  the  end  of  his  term, 
in  1808,  its  capital  stock  had  increased,  from  almost 
nothing  in  the  beginning,  to  about  forty-five  thou- 
sand dollars."  In  1804  the  Concern  was  removed  from 
Philadelphia  to  the  city  of  New  York,  where  Ezekiel 
Cooper  continued  its  superintendence,  being  assisted 
by  John  Wilson  for  the  last  four  years.  At  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  of  1808  Mr.  Cooper  resigned  his  of- 
fice, and  was  succeeded  by  John  Wilson  as  principal, 
and  Daniel  Hitt  as  assistant  editor  and  book  steward. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  $.1>.  241 


At  this  General  Conference,  on  the  recommendation  of 
Mr.  Cooper,  the  term  of  service  in  the  agency  was  limit- 
ed to  eight  years,  a  regulation  which  was  afterward 
found  to  be  attended  with  many  inconveniences,  so  much 
so  that  in  1836  the  rule  was  abrogated.  The  agents 
had  thus  far  received  pastoral  appointments  like  other 
preachers,  and  were  held  responsible  for  the  double 
duties  of  agents  of  the  Concern  and  of  stationed  min- 
isters, though  they  were  relieved  from  much  of  their 
pastoral  labors  by  their  colleagues  in  the  ministry.  In 
1808  they  were  entirely  released  from  pastoral  labors. 
In  1812  Daniel  Hitt  was  elected  the  principal,  and 
Thomas  Ware  the  assistant,  editor  and  book  steward ; 
and  the  General  Conference,  chiefly  at  the  instance  of 
Dr.  Bangs,  ordered  the  resumption  of  the  Magazine  in 
monthly  numbers ;  but  neither  this  order  was  obeyed, 
nor  were  the  hopes  of  the  friends  of  the  establishment  at 
all  realized  by  any  increasing  prosperity  of  the  Concern 
from  1812  to  1816.  He  gives  a  list  of  its  publications  in 
1813,  and  adds:  "In  this  list,  the  whole  of  which — that 
is,  a  copy  of  each  volume — independently  of  Coke's  Com- 
mentary— which  was  imported — might  be  purchased 
for  $29  75 — there  are  but  three  American  publications, 
namely,  Abbott's  and  Watters's  Lives,  and  the  Scriptural 
Catechism.  Nor  was  it  possible  under  the  circum- 
stances— for,  to  our  certain  knowledge,  several  attempts 
were  made — to  increase  the  variety ;  such  was  the  low 
feeling  in  the  heads  of  the  department,  and  the  apathy  in 
general,  on  the  subject  of  literature  in  our  Church  at 
that  period.  And  be  it  remembered  that  the  above 
books  had  been  issued  so  repeatedly,  without  adding 
anything  to  the  variety,  that  it  is  believed  if  the  Concern 
had  gone  on  at  this  rate  much  longer  it  would  have  run 
down  for  want  of  pecuniary  support."  In  1816  Joshua 
Soule  and  Thomas  Mason  entered  upon  the  agency. 
They  found  the  Concern  much  embarrassed  with  d^bt, 
with  but  scanty  means  to  liquidate  it,  the  number  and 
16 


242  LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 

variety  of  publications  small,  and  its  general  prospects 
quite  discouraging.  They,  however,  applied  them- 
selves to  their  work  with  prudence  and  diligence,  and 
succeeded  in  keeping  it  from  sinking  under  its  own 
weight,  and  in  infusing  new  energy  into  some  of  its  de- 
partments, by  increasing  the  variety  of  its  publications, 
and  lessening  the  amount  of  its  debts.  In  1818  the 
order  for  resuming  the  publication  of  the  Magazine, 
which  had  been  made  again  in  the  General  Conference  of 
1816,  by  the  urgency  of  Dr.  Bangs,  was  carried  into  effect, 
"  agreeably,"  he  says,  "  to  the  desire  and  to  the  joy  of 
thousands.  Indeed,  the  appearance  of  this  periodical, 
filled  as  it  was  with  useful  matter,  was  generally  hailed 
with  delight  by  the  members  of  our  Church  as  the  har- 
binger of  brighter  days,  especially  in  regard  to  the 
spread  of  literature  and  sound  knowledge  among  us  as  a 
people ;  though  it  must  be  confessed  that  there  were 
some  then  who  would  even  sneer  at  this  most  laudable 
attempt  to  diffuse  useful  knowledge  and  scriptural  piety 
by  means  of  the  press.  I  could  relate  many  anecdotes 
in  confirmation  of  this  statement,  as  dishonorable  to 
their  authors  as  they  were  mortifying  to  the  more  en- 
lightened friends  of  the  Church.  But  as  that  day  is 
past,  let  these  'times  of  ignorance'  be  'winked  at' 
and  forgotten,  from  the  joy  that  a  more  bright  and 
vigorous  state  of  things  has  so  happily  succeeded." 

The  appointment  of  Dr.  Bangs,  with  Thomas  Mason 
as  assistant,  in  1820,  led  to  a  renovation  of  the  whole 
establishment.  His  friend,  Rev.  Dr.  M'Clintock,  himself 
long  and  honorably  connected  with  it,  says :  "  When  Dr. 
Bangs  was  made  book  agent,  in  1820,  the  entire  business 
was  carried  on  in  a  small  room  in  John-street.  The 
Concern  was  deeply  in  debt,  and  yet  its  scale  of  opera- 
tions was  very  small.  The  new  agent  went  to  work 
with  his  accustomed  promptitude  and  energy.  He 
boldly  resolved  '  to  increase  the  debt '  in  order  to  pay  it. 
New  and  costly  works,  such  as  Benson's  Commentary, 


NATHAN  BAXGS,  D.D. 


243 


etc.,  were  undertaken ;  a  system  of  exchanges  with  other 
publishers  was  arranged  ;  old  stock  was  sold  off  at  low 
prices,  and  new  life  was  given  to  the  movement  of  the 
business  in  all  its  branches.  A  bindery  was  added  in 
1822,  and  a  printing  office  in  1824.  In  that  year,  too, 
the  premises  of  the  old  Wesleyan  Seminary,  in  Crosby- 
street,  were  purchased,  and  fitted  up  for  the  uses  of  the 
Concern  at  large  expense.  In  1824  Dr.  Emory  was  as- 
sociated with  Dr.  Bangs,  and  zealously  seconded  the 
energetic  movements  of  the  principal  agent.  A  charac- 
teristic illustration  of  Dr.  Bangs's  fearless  enterprise  in 
carrying  out  plans  approved  by  his  judgment,  is  fur- 
nished by  the  purchase  in  Crosby-street.  There  were 
croakers  in  abundance  to  predict  evil ;  the  proposed  pur- 
chase was  'rash,  reckless,  unconstitutional,'  and. every- 
thing else  but  prudent  and  right.  The  agents  used  but 
one  argument  in  reply — a  practical  one.  They  offered  to 
make  the  purchase  on  their  personal  responsibility,  agree- 
ing, in  case  the  General  Conference  should  not  sanction 
it,  to  take  the  entire  establishment  as  their  own.  The  re- 
sult justified  the  sagacity  of  the  agents.  Had  they  waited 
for  a  previous  authority  from  the  General  Conference,  we 
should  probably  have  had  no  printing-house  till  now.  In 
1823  the  'Youth's  Instructor,'  a  monthly  work,  was  be- 
gun. The  same  spirit  of  enterprise  led  to  the  publication 
of  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  which  appeared, 
for  the  first  time,  on  the  9th  of  September,  1826.  The 
paper  was  at  first  nominally  edited  by  B.  Badger ;  but  the 
editorial  matter,  from  1826  to  1828,  was  chiefly  furnished 
by  Dr.  Bangs,  though  he  was  still  discharging  the  ardu- 
ous duties  of  senior  book  agent.  During  the  whole 
period  of  his  agency,  1820-1828,  he  was  also  editor  of 
the  Methodist  Magazine.  Such  an  amount  of  labor  would 
have  worn  out  any  man  not  endowed  with  great  intellect- 
ual and  bodily  vigor — qualities  which,  in  Dr.  Bangs, 
were  supplemented  by  indomitable  industry  and  perse- 
verance." 


244 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


The  success  of  the  Advocate  was  remarkable.  "  In  a 
very  short  time,"  writes  Dr.  Bangs,  "its  number  of 
subscribers  far  exceeded  every  other  paper  published  in 
the  United  States,  being  about  twenty-five  thousand; 
and  it  soon  increased  to  thirty  thousand,  and  was  prob- 
ably read  by  more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty  thou- 
sand persons,  young  and  old."  The  continual  enlarge- 
ment of  the  establishment,  while  it  secured  energy  in 
its  operations  and  mightily  extended  the  sphere  of  its 
usefulness  among  the  reading  community,  increased 
also  its  debt ;  but  it  also  increased  the  means  of  pay- 
ment, and  must  ultimately  both  tend  to  its  entire  eman- 
cipation from  its  pecuniary  embarrassment,  and  en- 
large its  sphere  of  usefulness  in  respect  to  the  num- 
ber, variety,  and  character  of  its  publications.  It 
should  be  noticed,  also,  that,  at  the  earnest  request  of 
brethren  west  of  the  mountains,  the  General  Confer- 
ence of  1820  authorized  the  establishment  of  a  branch  of 
the  Book  Concern  in  Cincinnati,  and  Martin  Ruter,  of 
the  New  England  Conference,  was  appointed  to  its 
charge,  to  act  under  the  direction  of  the  agents  in  New 
York. 

The  debts  of  the  Concern  were  thus  very  consider- 
ably increased ;  but  they  were  increased  by  the  procure- 
ment of  an  oflice  for  printing  and  binding,  presses, 
stereotype  plates,  and  all  sorts  of  tools  for  each  depart- 
ment, such  means  as  must,  if  properly  managed,  finally 
lead  to  the  liquidation  of  the  debt,  and  thus  place  the 
Concern  on  a  permanent  foundation,  beyond  the  reach  of 
danger  by  the  fluctuations  of  the  times,  so  often  oc- 
casioned by  the  frequent  pressures  of  the  money  market. 
Its  credit  was  good,  its  liabilities  were  always  promptly 
met,  its  working  hands  paid,  and  all  its  parts  were  in 
vigorous  operation. 

In  his  manuscript  he  says  his  new  position  "  was  at- 
tended with  numerous  fears  and  labors,  for  which  I  felt 
myself  quite  inadequate.    When  I  went  into  the  Concern 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


245 


I  found  it  deeply  in  debt,  with  but  slender  means  of  its 
liquidation,  the  number  of  books  published  few  and  of 
dull  sale,  so  that  I  greatly  doubted  the  success  of  the 
establishment.  My  colleague,  who  kept  the  accounts, 
was  a  very  energetic  man,  of  good  business  habits,  but 
not  of  enlarged  views  in  respect  to  the  manner  of  con- 
ducting the  affairs  of  the  Concern.  We  went  to  work 
as  well  as  we  could,  though  often  much  embarrassed  for 
want  of  means  to  meet  the  demands  against  us,  being 
forced  to  discount  largely  at  the  banks  and  borrow 
from  other  sources  to  enable  us  to  carry  forward  the 
business.  At  this  time  stereotype  plates  were  not 
in  use  among  us,  and  therefore  we  had  to  reset  the 
types  for  every  new  edition  of  a  book,  and  we  were  in 
the  habit  of  reading  the  proofs  of  every  reprint,  as  well 
as  the  first  edition  of  each  new  book.  This,  together 
with  editing  the  Magazine,  gave  me  work  enough,  and 
even  more  than  one  man  ought  to  do.  Besides  this,  I 
was  in  the  habit  of  preaching  twice  every  Sabbath,  and 
frequently  on  week  evenings,  in  which  I  often  found 
great  enlargement  of  heart.  I  never  would  have  sub- 
mitted to  such  drudgery  in  the  Book  Concern  but 
from  the  belief  that  I  was  subserving  the  cause  of 
Christ  in  editing  and  sending  forth  books  upon  religious 
subjects  which  thousands  might  read,  and  thereby  be 
instructed  more  fully  in  the  truth  of  God." 

No  labor  of  his  life,  except  in  the  cause  of  missions, 
has  been  attended  with  grander  results.  He  has  sketched 
the  history  of  the  "Concern"  down  to  1841.  At  the 
General  Conference  of  1828,  when  he  was  appointed 
editor  of  the  Advocate,  John  Emory  and  Beverly  Waugh 
(both  afterward  bishops)  were  elected  agents.  On  the 
broad  foundations  he  had  laid  the  new  agents  went  to 
work  in  good  earnest,  and  soon  succeeded  in  paying  off 
the  debts  of  the  establishment,  and  in  widening  the 
sphere  of  their  operations  greatly.  Wesley's  and  Fletch- 
er's Works  were  published,  the  Methodist  Magazine 


246 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


was  improved  by  commencing  a  new  series  under  the 
title  of  the  "  Methodist  Magazine  and  Quarterly  Review," 
the  number  of  Sunday-school  books  and  tracts  was  mul- 
tiplied, these  being  still  under  the  charge  of  Dr.  Bangs. 
The  rapid  increase  of  the  business  very  soon  led  to  the 
necessity  of  enlarging  its  buildings.  Accordingly  all  the 
vacant  ground  in  Crosby-street  was  occupied.  But  even 
these  additions  were  found  insufficient  to  accommodate 
the  several  departments  of  labor,  so  as  to  furnish  the 
needful  supply  of  books,  now  in  constantly  increasing  de- 
mand. To  supply  this  deficiency,  five  lots  were  pur- 
chased in  Mulberry-street,  between  Broome  and  Spring 
streets,  and  one  building  erected  in  the  rear  for  a  print- 
ing office  and  bindery,  and  another  of  larger  dimensions 
projected.  At  the  General  Conference  of  1832,  Dr. 
Emory  being  elected  bishop,  Beverly  Waugh  was  ap- 
pointed to  fill  his  place,  and  Thomas  Mason  assistant. 
Acting  on  the  principles  which  had  been  laid  down 
by  their  predecessors,  they  carried  out  the  plans  which 
had  been  proposed  with  great  energy  and  success.  At 
the  same  Conference,  in  consequence  of  the  increased 
labors  in  the  editorial  department,  Dr.  Bangs  was 
removed  from  the  editorship  of  the  Christian  Advocate 
and  Journal  to  the  editorial  charge  of  the  Methodist 
Magazine  and  Quarterly  Review  and  the  general  books, 
John  P.  Durbin  was  elected  editor  of  the  Christian 
Advocate  and  Journal  and  Sunday-school  books  and 
tracts,  and  Timothy  Merritt  his  assistant.  Dr.  Durbin 
introduced  one  very  important  improvement  into  the 
Sunday-school  department,  the  commencement  of  a 
Sunday-school  and  Youth's  Library,  which  has  grown 
to  seven  hundred  and  thirty-two  volumes.  This  di- 
vision of  labor  had  a  most  beneficial  tendency.  "  What 
an  alteration  in  this  respect !"  exclaims  Dr.  Bangs. 
"In  the  infancy  of  the  Concern  the  agent  did  all 
the  work  of  editing,  packing  up  the  books,  and  keep- 
ing the  accounts,  besides  doing  the  work  of  a  sta- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.I>. 


247 


lioned  preacher.  In  1S04  he  was  allowed  an  assist- 
ant; but  no  clerk  was  employed  until  1818,  when,  on  re- 
suming the  publication  of  the  Magazine,  the  agents,  by 
the  advice  of  the  Book  Committee,  employed  a  young 
man  to  assist  in  packing  the  books  and  shipping  them 
off.  From  1820  to  1828  the  writer  had  the  entire  re- 
sponsibility of  the  establishment  on  his  shoulders,  both 
of  editing  and  publishing  the  Magazine  and  books,  and 
overseeing  its  pecuniary  and  mercantile  department.  It 
is  due,  however,  to  his  assistants  to  say4  that  they  labored 
faithfully  and  indefatigably  to  promote  the  interests 
of  the  Concern,  and  the  labor  of  keeping  the  books  and 
attending  to  the  pecuniary  business  devolved  chiefly  on 
them,  under  his  advisement.  In  1825  a  clerk  was  first 
employed  to  keep  the  books  ;  and  after  the  Christian  Ad 
vocate  and  Journal  was  commenced,  and  the  Sunday- 
school  books  and  tracts  began  to  multiply,  it  became 
necessary  to  employ  several  clerks  to  keep  the  accounts, 
and  to  pack  up  and  send  oft*  the  periodicals.  In  taking 
charge  of  the  Methodist  Magazine  and  Quarterly  Review, 
the  editor  found  himself  exceedingly  cramped,  as  he  was 
not  at  liberty  to  offer  any  remuneration  to  contributors, 
but  must  take  such  as  he  could  get,  chiefly  by  selections 
from  other  books  or  furnishing  matter  from  his  own  pen. 
This  defect  was  as  mortifying  to  him  as  it  was  a  disap- 
pointment to  its  readers  and  patrons  ;  and  he  rejoices 
that  his  advice,  long  urged  without  effect,  was  at  last 
adopted,  and  that  hence  a  brighter  day  has  dawned  upon 
this  department  of  our  literature.'" 

Soon  after  the  General  Conference  of  1832,  the  new 
agents  began  the  erection  of  the  front  building  on  Mul- 
berry-street;  and  in  the  month  of  September,  1833,  the 
entire  establishment  was  removed  into  the  new  buildings. 
In  these  commodious  rooms,  with  efficient  agents  and 
editors  at  work,  everything  seemed  to  be  going  on  pros- 
perously, when  suddenly  the  entire  property  was  consumed 
by  fire!    The  Church  thus  lost  not   less  than  two 


248 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  The  buildings,  all 
the  printing  and  binding  materials,  a  vast  quantity  of 
books,  bound  and  in  sheets,  a  valuable  library  which  the 
editor  had  been  collecting  for  years,  were  in  a  few  hours 
destroyed.  There  will  be  occasion  hereafter  to  allude 
to  this  disastrous  event.  Fortunately  the  "Concern" 
was  not  in  debt.  By  hiring  an  office  temporarily,  and 
employing  outside  printers,  the  agents  soon  resumed 
their  business,  the  smaller  works  were  put  to  press, 
and  "the  Church's  herald  of  the  news,  the  Christian 
Advocate  and  Journal,  soon  took  its  flight  again 
(though  the  first  number  after  the  fire  had  its  wings  much 
shortened)  through  the  symbolical  heavens,  carrying 
the  tidings  of  our  loss,  and  of  the  liberal  and  steady 
efforts  which  were  making  to  reinvigorate  the  paralyzed 
Concern." 

At  the  General  Conference  of  1836,  Beverly  Waugh 
being  elected  a  bishop,  Thomas  Mason  was  put  in  his 
place,  and  George  Lane  was  elected  his  assistant.  To 
this  Conference  the  plan  of  a  new  building  was  sub- 
mitted and  approved,  and  the  new  agents  entered  upon 
their  work  with  energy  and  perseverance.  Samuel 
Luckey,  D.D.,  was  elected  general  editor,  and  John  A. 
Collins  his  assistant.  The  new  buildings  went  up  with 
all  convenient  dispatch,  in  a  much  better  style,  more 
durable,  better  adapted  to  their  use,  and  safer  against 
fire  than  the  former.  The  front  edifice  is  one  hundred 
and  twenty-one  feet  in  length  and  thirty  in  breadth, 
four  stories  high  above  the  basement,  with  offices  for  the 
agents  and  clerks,  a  bookstore,  committee  rooms,  etc. 
The  building  in  the  rear  is  sixty-five  feet  in  length,  thirty 
in  breadth,  and  four  stories  high,  and  is  used  for  print- 
ing, binding,  etc. 

In  our  day  the  Methodist  Book  Concern,  aside  from 
that  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  which 
was  founded  by  a  division  of  its  funds,  comprises  two 
branches,  eastern  and  western,  and  five  depositories, 


NATHAN  BANGS,  P.D. 


249 


with  an  aggregate  capital  of  more  than  $700,000.  Four 
"  Book  Agents,"  appointed  by  the  General  Conference, 
manage  its  business.  It  has  twelve  editors  of  its  peri- 
odicals, tfour  hundred  and  sixty  clerks  and  operatives, 
and  between  twenty  and  thirty  cylinder  and  power 
presses  constantly  in  operation.  It  publishes  above  five 
hundred  "  General  Catalogue "  bound  books,  besides 
many  in  the  German  and  other  languages,  and  about 
fourteen  hundred  Sunday-school  volumes.  Its  Tract 
publications  number  about  nine  hundred  in  various 
tongues.  Its  periodicals  are  a  mighty  agency,  including 
one  Quarterly  Review,  four  monthlies,  one  semi-monthly, 
and  eight  weeklies,  with  an  aggregate  circulation  of 
over  one  million  of  copies  per  month.  Its  quarterly 
and  some  of  its  weeklies  have  a  larger  circulation  than 
any  other  periodicals,  of  the  same  class,  in  the  nation, 
probably  in  the  world. 

The  influence  of  this  great  institution,  in  the  diffusion 
of  popular  literature  and  the  creation  of  a  taste  for 
reading  among  the  great  masses  of  the  denomination, 
has  been  incalculable.  It  has  scattered  periodicals  and 
books  all  over  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  Its  sales  in 
that  great  domain,  in  the  quadrennial  period  ending 
with  January  31,  1860,  amounted  to  nearly  $1,128,000. 
If  .Methodism  has  made  no  other  contribution  to  the 
progress  of  knowledge  and  civilization  in  the  New 
World  than  that  of  this  powerful  institution,  this  alone 
would  suffice  to  vindicate  its  claim  to  the  respect  of  the 
enlightened  world.  Its  ministry  has  often  been  falsely 
disparaged  as  unfavorable  to  intelligence ;  but  it  should 
be  borne  in  mind  that  its  ministry  founded,  has  con- 
ducted, and  actually  owns  this  stupendous  means  of 
popular  intelligence.  They  have  been,  as  we  have  seen, 
its  salesmen ;  they  have  scattered  its  publications  over 
their  "  circuits."  Wesley  enjoined  this  service  upon 
them  in  their  Discipline.  "  Carry  books  with  you  on 
every  round,"  he  said ;  "  leave  no  stone  unturned  in  this 


250 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


work  •"  and  thus  have  they  spread  knowledge  in  their 
courses  over  the  whole  land,  and  huilt  up  their  unpar- 
allelled  "  Book  Concern."  There  has  never  been  an 
instance  of  defalcation  on  the  part  of  its  "  Agfnts  ;"  it 
has  never  failed  in  any  of  the  financial  revulsions  of  the 
country ;  and  it  is  now  able,  by  its  large  capital,  to  meet 
any  new  literary  necessity  of  the  denomination. 

Before  Dr.  Bangs's  appointment  to  the  Book  Concern 
he  had  written  a  work,  which  he  now  published,  entitled 
"  A  Vindication  of  the  Methodist  Episcopacy."  It  was 
appropriate  to  the  times,  for  already  had  the  "  Radical 
Controversy,"  so  called,  begun  in  the  Church,  involving 
grave  questions  respecting  its  episcopal  powers,  the 
appointment  of  the  preachers,  and  lay  representation. 
On  some  of  these  topics  he  had  no  little  sympathy  with 
the  "  Reformers,"  for,  as  we  have  seen,  he  was  always 
"progressive,"  and  had  become  distinguished  as  an 
advocate  of  the  election  of  presiding  elders,  being  the 
candidate  of  his  party  on  that  question  for  the  office  of 
bishop  at  the  last  General  Conference ;  but  he  doubted 
the  expediency  of  many  of  the  measures  of  the  "  Re- 
formers." He  deprecated  the  tendency  of  their  violent 
discussions  and  proceedings ;  he  foresaw  the  schism 
which  at  last  ensued;  and  believing  that  graver  evils 
than  any  alleged  defects  of  the  Church  would  result 
from  the  party  organization  which  was  rapidly  forming, 
he  deemed  it  his  duty  to  waive,  for  the  present,  his  pre- 
dilections of  opinion,  and  stand  on  the  defense  for  the 
Church  against  the  menacing  peril.  With  Hedding  and 
other  leaders  of  the  original  party  of  reform  in  the 
General  Conference,  he  was  led  at  last  by  these  dangers 
to  modify,  as  I  have  shown,  his  views  of  the  "  presiding 
cider"  question.  He  did  not  believe  it  befitting  the 
Church  of  God  to  follow,  even  in  a  genuine  reform,  the 
example  of  wrangling  and  party  combat  which  political 
communities  consider  necessary  for  their  progress.  The 
Church,  the  kingdom  of  God,  the  civitas  Dei,  he  believed 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


251 


to  "be  founded  on  principles  which  require  a  different 
policy,  a  policy  of  peace  and  charity — discussion  and 
labor,  but  not  passion  and  discord  ;  and  however  much 
its  history  betrays  the  working  of  human  infirmity,  even 
more,  perhaps,  than  that  of  civil  states,  good  men  should, 
and  for  that  very  reason,  the  more  resolutely  guard 
against  tendencies  toward  violent  measures.  In  a  com- 
paratively pure  and  successful  Church,  as  he  deemed  his 
own  to  be,  did  he  especially  doubt  the  expediency  of 
discordant  party  organizations,  for  any  merely  econom- 
ical or  governmental  change,  however  desirable  it  might 
appear.  If  it  could  not  immediately  be  effected  with- 
out such  a  degree  of  agitation  and  internal  disturbance 
as  must  divert  the  attention  of  the  Church  from  its  higher 
works  of  piety  and  charity,  it  was  his  opinion  that  the 
reform  should  be  left  to  the  more  gradual  progress  of 
opinion ;  that  where  there  is  already  essential  purity 
peace  is  the  essential  policy,  fulfilling  the  apostolic  rule, 
"  first  pure,  then  peaceable."  With  perhaps  a  natural 
aptitude  for  controversy — an  energetic  temperament  and 
quick  sympathies — disposing  him  to  take  a  decided  stand 
on  any  and  every  question,  yet,  so  thoroughly  was  he 
swayed  by  these  convictions,  and  so  complete  an  accord- 
ance had  they  with  his  warm  and  generous  piety,  that 
if  fight  he  must,  it  was,  in  almost  every  case,  a  fight 
against  fighters.  With  good  Bishop  Hall,  his  habitual 
prayer  was,  "  O  God,  who  art  at  once  the  '  Lord  of 
Hosts '  and  the  '  Prince  of  Peace,'  give  us  war  with 
spiritual  wickedness,  and  peace  with  our  brethren." 
Aud  with  Gurnall,  he  believed  that  "  we  stand  at  better 
advantage  to  find  truth,  and  keep  it  also,  when  praying 
fur  it,  than  fiercely  wrangling  and  contending  about  it. 
Disputes  soil  the  soul,  and  raise  the  dust  of  passion ; 
prayer  sweetly  composeth  the  mind,  and  lays  the  passions 
which  disputes  draw  forth  ;  and  I  am  sure  that  a  man  may 
see  further  in  a  clear,  still  day  than  in  a  windy  and  cloudy." 
This,  in  brief,  is  the  trne  explanation  of  his  public  life,  so 


252 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OP 


far  as  it  was  connected  with  the  agitated  questions  of  his 
Church — the  just  characterization  of  the  man.  Always 
in  sympathy  with  progressive  measures,  always  seen 
staunch  and  erect,  on  advanced  ground,  yet  was  he 
always  resisting  heedless  ultraists.  Reform  in  the 
Church,  but  loyalty  to  the  Church — this  was  his  sum- 
mary maxim. 

It  is  not  necessary,  nor  would  it  be  interesting,  to 
trace  here  in  detail  the  progress  of  the  "  reform  "  move- 
ment which  about  this  time  shook  the  very  foundations 
of  American  Methodism,  and  at  last  rent  it  with  schism. 
The  record  of  those  lamentable  events  belongs  to  the 
history  of  the  denomination  rather  than  a  personal  his- 
tory like  this,  and  they  will  hereafter  receive  due  notice. 
Dr.  Bangs  has  fully  recorded  them  in  the  former,  and 
they  are  well  known  ;  in  the  manuscript  which  he  has 
left  for  my  guidance  in  the  preparation  of  this  narrative 
he  only  alludes  to  them,  and  with  evident  reluctance. 
The  controversy  was  to  him  a  sad  reminiscence,  as  in- 
volving some  most  important  principles,  but  marred,  and 
rendered  disastrous  by  human  infirmities. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


253 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

GENERAL  CONFERENCE  OF  1824. 

Dr.  Bangs  represented  the  New  York  Conference,  as 
a  delegate,  in  the  General  Conference  of  1824,  which  as- 
sembled on  the  1st  of  May  in  the  city  of  Baltimore. 
Most  of  the  leading  delegates  in  the  sessions  already 
noticed  were  again  there ;  others  destined  to  become 
leaders  now  appeared  in  the  body  for  the  first  time : 
Fisk,  of  New  England;  Luckey,  of  New  York;  Peck 
and  Paddock,  of  Genesee ;  Elliott  and  Morris,  of  Ohio ; 
Paine,  of  Tennessee  ;  Winans,  of  Mississippi ;  Bear,  of 
Baltimore ;  Pitman,  of  Philadelphia.  Three  of  these 
were,  in  later  years,  elected  to  the  episcopal  office,*  and 
there  were  present  no  less  than  seven  delegates 
who  attained  to  that  honor  in  either  the  northern  or 
southern  sections  of  the  denomination. 

The  last  four  years  had  been  prosperous,  and  the 
Church  had  steadily  advanced.  Twelve  Conferences  were 
now  represented,  comprehending  the  whole  settled  terri- 
tory of  the  nation,  and  all  Upper  Canada ;  more  than 
three  hundred  and  twelve  thousand  communicants  were 
reported,  and  more  than  twelve  hundred  traveling  preach- 
ers. The  increase  for  the  quadrennial  period  was  more 
than  seventy-one  thousand  members,  and  more  than  four 
hundred  preachers. 

The  interest  of  the  session  was  greatly  enhanced  by 
the  presence  of  the  first  official  representatives  of  the 
English  Conference,  Reece  and  Hannah.  Dr.  Bangs,  as 
usual,  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  proceedings.  He 
was  chairman  of  its  most  important  committee,  the  one 
*  Fisk  was  elected  but  did  not  accept  the  office. 


254 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


to  which  was  referred  the  great  question  of  the  day,  on 
lay  representation,  and  with  him  were  associated  Morris, 
Capers,  Paddock,  Beaucha^np,  Pitman,  and  six  others.* 
He  was  also  chairman  of  a  committee,  including  Sand- 
ford  and  Fisk,  on  the  Rules  of  the  Discipline  for  the  Ad- 
mission and  Trial  of  Church-Members,  and  of  another,  in- 
cluding Ostrander  and  Sandford,  on  Revisal  of  the  Disci- 
pline. He  was  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  African 
Colonization,  with  Soule  and  Myers.  He  represented  par- 
ticularly the  interests  of  missions,  education,  and  litera- 
ture as  connected  with  the  publishing  agency  of  the 
Church.  Since  his  efforts  for  the  second  of  these  interests, 
in  the  preceding  General  Conference,  seminaries  had  been 
springing  up  in  various  parts  of  the  denomination.  He 
and  his  friend,  Laban  Clark,  now  proposed  a  General 
Conference  College,  or  University ;  but  they  were  un- 
fortunately defeated.  Had  they  been  successful  the 
measure  might  have  secured  for  us  a  commanding  cen- 
tral collegiate  institution,  and  prevented  the  waste  of 
double  the  amount  ofgnoney  requisite  for  its  endowment, 
and  the  dishonor  of  numerous  failures  of  experimental 
institutions,  which  have  defeated  one  another.  The 
report  of  the  Book  Concern  showed  the  effect  of  his  en- 
ergetic devotion  to  that  great  interest.  Its  whole  prop- 
erty was  now  valued  at  more  than  $270,000.  Deducting 
its  debts,  (about  $48,500,)  its  balance  of  stock  was  esti- 
mated at  more  than  $221,000.  Instead  of  the  small 
store  on  John-street,  it  had  now  its  "Book  Rooms" 
on  Fulton-street,  and  a  bindery  on  Crosby-street.  It 
was  about  to  establish  a  printing  department  and  to 
provide  premises  of  its  own.  Its  catalogue  of  books 
had  been  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  important  works. 
Dr.  Bangs  was  re-elected  "  Editor  and  General  Book 
Steward "  by  ninety-four  votes,  Beauchamp  receiving 

*  He  did  not,  however,  write  its  Keport,  and  had  left  the  session  be- 
fore that  document  was  presented.  It  is  supposed  that  Dr.  Capers  wrote 
it.   Letter  of  Bishop  Morris  to  the  author. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


255 


twenty-one,  Emory  eight,  and  Fisk  one.  Emory  was 
afterward  elected  his  assistant  by  seventy-two  votes. 

Dr.  Bangs  writes:  "This  election  I  could  not  other- 
wise consider  than  as  a  special  providence  in  my  favor, 
particularly  on  account  of  my  domestic  circumstances. 
My  brethren,  who  were  acquainted  with  these,  I  suppose, 
believing  that  I  had  filled  my  station  with  fidelity,  sym- 
pathized with  me,  and  used  their  influence  for  my  reap- 
pointment. Had  it  not  been  done  I  know  not  how  I 
could  have  continued  in  the  itinerant  ministry,  for  my 
wife's  health  was  so  feeble  that  she  could  not  be  removed, 
and  my  children  were  growing  up  around  me  and  need- 
ed my  care;  but  God  provided  for  me,  for  which  I  desire 
to  record  my  gratitude." 

SERVICES  IN  THE  BOOK  CONCERN'. 

He  now  prosecuted,  more  vigorously  than  ever,  his 
enlarged  plans  respecting  the  Book  Concern,  finding  in 
Emory  a  congenial  spirit  of  enterprise  and  a  rare  capac- 
ity for  business.  They  established  a  printing  office  in 
the  month  of  September,  1824,  in  the  second  story  of 
the  academic  edifice  on  Crosby-street,  and  before  the 
year  closed  purchased  the  whole  property  from  the  trust- 
ees of  the  "  Wesleyan  Seminary,"  and  projected  addi- 
tional buildings.  They  printed  costly  standard  works, 
among  others  the  whole  of  Adam  Clarke's  Commentaries. 
On  the  9th  of  September,  1826,  they  issued  the  first 
number  of  the  "Christian  Advocate,"  a  courageous 
experiment,  but  one  of  signal  success,  as  we  have  seen. 
In  a  short  time  it  had  a  greater  circulation  than  any 
other  religious  newspaper  of  not  only  the  New  World, 
but  of  the  whole  world ;  and  its  proceeds  afforded  an- 
nually a  large  increment  to  the  capital  of  the  Concern, 
and  annual  appropriations  of  thousands  of  dollars  for  the 
relief  of  superannuated  preachers  and  the  widows  and 
orphans  of  the  itinerant  ministry.  On  the  5th  of  July, 
1827,  the  corner-stone  of  an  additional  building  was  laid, 


250 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


and  in  the  ensuing  year  twelve  printing-presses  were  in 
operation.  When  Bishop  Soule,  the  immediate  prede- 
cessor of  Dr.  Bangs,  retired  from  the  agency,  the  report 
of  the  Concern  to  the  General  Conference  represented 
that,  until  about  a  year  previous,  the  agents  had  "  in 
addition  to  the  editorial  labor,  and  the  various  branches 
of  clerkship,  to  perform  with  their  own  hands  all  the 
laborious  work  of  the  Concern,  such  as  packing,  hooping, 
and  shipping  boxes.  Now  there  were  in  the  book  depart- 
ment three  clerks  assisting  the  two  agents  ;  in  the  print- 
ing department  fifty  employes  ;  thirty-four  in  the  bind- 
ery, and  seven  clerks  in  the  periodical  department. .'  The 
assets  of  the  establishment  advanced  from  about  $270,000 
in  1824,  to  nearly  $457,000  in  1828;  its  liabilities  being 
in  1824  about  $48,500,  and  in  1828  about  $101,200. 
He  had  reason  indeed  to  rejoice  over  these  grand  suc- 
cesses ;  but  they  imposed  upon  him  extraordinary  labors, 
for  in  addition  to  the  chief  responsibility  of  the  publish- 
ing agency  he  was  practically  the  editor  of  the  Maga- 
zine, the  Youth's  Instructor,  and  the  Christian  Advocate. 
Work  was  to  him,  however,  recreation,  and  to  these 
severe  tasks  he  added  habitual  preaching,  two  sermons 
on  the  Sabbath,  and  often  many  on  week  nights. 

Successful  as  his  present  public  service  was,  and  ines- 
timably important  by  diffusing  useful  literature  through 
nearly  the  whole  length  and  breadth  of  the  nation,  it 
could  afford  no  incidents  of  popular  interest  for  our  nar- 
rative. I  find,  however,  among  his  manuscripts  the  rec- 
ord of  some  episodes  in  his  present  term  of  laborious 
business  life. 

HE  VISITS  CANADA. 

The  last  war  with  Great  Britain  had  profoundly  dis- 
turbed the  relations  of  the  Church  to  its  vast  Canadian 
field.  By  an  arrangenient  between  the  General  Confer- 
ence and  the  English  Conference,  Lower  Canada  had 
been  set  off  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the  latter  ;  Upper  Can- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


257 


acta  still,  however,  appertained  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  as  a  part  of  the  territory  of  the  Genesee  Confer- 
ence. At  the  last  General  Conference  some  of  its  preach- 
ers applied,  by  memorials,  to  be  made  an  independent 
Conference,  with  power  to  elect  a  bishop,  who  should 
reside  within  the  province.  The  General  Conference 
was  not  prepared  to  concede  so  much  ;  it  organized  a 
Canada  Conference,  but  retained  it  under  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  No  little  dis- 
turbance ensued  in  the  Canadian  Societies,  and  before 
the  new  Conference  could  meet  a  convention  assembled, 
an  independent  Conference  was  organized,  and  a  declara- 
tion of  grievances  and  rights  published.  Dr.  Bangs,  as 
one  of  the  founders  of  Canadian  Methodism,  was  re- 
quested by  the  bishops  to  visit  the  province  and  endeav- 
or to  allay  the  agitation.  Bishops  George  and  Hedding 
also  hastened  thither,  and,  for  a  time,  the  menacing  peril 
was  abated. 

GENESEE  CONFERENCE  HIS  FATHER'S  GRAVE. 

"  I  set  off,"  writes  Dr.  Bangs,  "  on  the  22d  of 
July,  1824,  and  arrived  at  the  seat  of  the  Genesee  Con- 
ference on  the  25th.  This  is  a  very  growing  Confer- 
ence, including  a  most  fertile  and  highly  cultivated 
country.  Its  populous  villages,  rich  farms,  neat  and  even 
elegant  houses,  the  intelligence  of  its  people,  and  the 
lately  constructed  canal  by  which  its  produce  is  convey- 
ed to  the  eastern  markets,  all  conspire  to  render  it  one 
of  the  most  splendid  parts  of  the  nation.  It  is  a 
delight  to  the  eye  of  the  traveler.  The  name  of  Clin- 
ton will  be  handed  down  to  posterity  as  a  chief 
promoter  of  the  agricultural  and  commercial  interests  of 
his  country.  Among  the  things  which  tend  to  enhance 
the  value  of  this  region  is  the  zeal  with  which  religion 
is  maintained  and  spread.  Houses  for  divine  worship 
everywhere  adorn  the  beautiful  scenery,  and  their  exist- 
ence shows  the  devoutness  with  which  the  early  emi- 
17 


258 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


grants  (mostly  from  New  England)  began  their  settle- 
ments, or  the  eagerness  with  which  they  afterward 
received  the  Gospel.  From  Lansing,  which  is  on  the 
east  side  of  the  beautiful  lake  of  Cayuga,  I  passed  on 
through  the  delightful  villages  and  the  charming  inter- 
vening landscapes  of  Ithaca,  Geneva,  Canandaigua,  Gen- 
eseo,  Moscow,  to  Perry,  whence  I  went  up  the  Genesee 
River,  about  two  miles  above  the  falls,  to  visit  my  sister, 
Sarah  Smith,  whom  I  had  not  seen  for  eight  years.  Here 
my  father  died,  in  the  peace  of  the  Gospel,  on  the  9th  of 
May  last,  aged  more  than  eighty-four  years.  Two  years 
since  I  was  within  about  seventy  miles  of  him.  He  then 
expected  to  see  me,  and  was  so  disappointed  that  he 
shed  tears,  a  thing  very  unusual  with  him.  I  was  much 
aifected  on  hearing  of  this  fact,  and  blamed  myself  for 
not  going,  as  I  might  have  done  by  a  little  extra  exertion ; 
but,  alas !  1  postponed  the  meeting  for  my  present  jour- 
ney !  About  three  weeks  before  I  was  to  set  off  I  re- 
ceived the  mournful  tidings  of  his  death.  I  suffered  very 
poignant  feelings  of  regret,  and  could  not  forgive  myself. 
I  determined,  however,  to  visit  his  grave.  While  stand- 
ing by  it  I  wept  bitter  tears.  I  left,  with  my  brother-in- 
law,  some  money  for  a  plain  head-stone;  all  I  could  do, 
besides  my  tears,  to  relieve  my  agonized  feelings. 

"  Having  discharged  this  filial  duty — for  the  privilege 
of  doing  which  I  feel  truly  thankful  to  God — and  preach- 
ing in  the  house  of  my  sister,  I  passed  on  to  Batavia, 
and  thence  to  Buffalo.  About  twenty-six  years  ago  I 
went  through  the  Avildcrness  from  Genesee  River  to  Buf- 
falo ;  then  there  was  not  a  solitary  house  in  all  that  dis- 
tance. The  roads,  if  such  they  could  be  called,  were 
rude.  We  had  an  ox  team,  and  lay  five  nights  in  the 
woods.  Now  this  is  one  of  the  most  delightful  coun- 
tries I  ever  beheld.  What  beautiful  villages  and  thriv- 
ing towns  have  sprung  up,  as  by  magic,  since  that  ad- 
venturous journey ! 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


259 


SCENES  IN  CANADA. 

"I  arrived  in  Canada  with  emotions  which  I  cannot 
describe.  Here  was  the  place  to  which  I  wandered  in 
my  youth ;  here  God  revealed  himself  to  my  soul ;  here 
I  began  my  ministry  twenty-four  years  ago.  I  had  the 
unspeakable  pleasure  of  meeting  with  some  Avho  were 
converted  under  my  early  preaching,  and  with  many 
with  whom  I  had  often  been  refreshed  in  the  worship 
of  God. 

"  From  Niagara  we  traveled  by  land,  around  the  head 
of  the  lake,  by  York  down  to  Hallowell,  a  distance  of 
about  three  hundred  miles,  holding  meetings  nearly  every 
day  and  sometimes  twice  a  day.  The  country  has  great- 
ly improved,  and  many  of  the  people  have  become  wealthy 
since  my  old  travels.  At  Hallowell  we  met  the  preach- 
ers who  had  assembled  for  the  first  Canada  Conference. 
There  was  great  anxiety  and  searchings  of  heart  on  ac- 
count of  a  division  which  had  taken  place,  headed  princi- 
pally by  local  preachers.  Two  of  the  messengers  who 
had  been  sent  to  the  last  General  Conference  by  the 
brethren  with  their  petition  for  an  independent  Confer- 
ence— H.  R.  and  D.  B. — the  latter  a  local  elder,  were 
much  disappointed  by  the  result,  and  bearing  back 
some  wrong  impressions  about  the  manner  in  which 
their  affairs  were  treated,  a  spirit  of  disaffection  was  in- 
fused into  many  minds,  particularly  among  the  local 
preachers.  A  Conference  was  held  by  the  latter  on  the 
Bay  of  Quinte  District,  where  H.  R.  presided;  they 
formed  themselves  into  an  independent  body  and  invited 
their  brethren  generally  to  join  them.  Many  of  the 
people  had  also  declared  in  their  favor.  This  was  the 
state  of  affairs  when  we  reached  the  province.  In  order 
to  correct  the  wrong  impressions  which  prevailed,  Bishop 
George  and  William  Case  crossed  into  Canada  at  Og- 
densburg,  visiting  the  preachers  and  people  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  province ;  while  Bishop  Redding  and  myself, 


260 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


crossing  at  Buffalo,  visited  all  we  could,  made  explana- 
tions, held  meetings,  and  satisfied  the  greater  proportion 
of  the  people ;  so  that,  by  the  time  we  reached  the  Con- 
ference, the  power  of  the  adverse  party  was  very  much 
broken,  and  they  themselves  seemed  generally  satisfied 
Avith  what  had  been  done  by  the  General  Conference. 
Indeed,  when  the  local  preachers  were  rightly  informed 
they  behaved  like  men  of  God,  and  were  willing  to  relin- 
quish the  ground  they  had  taken  and  stand  on  the  old 
platform. 

"  The  plea  they  made  for  a  separate  organization  was 
that,  as  the  Methodists  in  Canada  acknowledged  an 
ecclesiastical  head  in  the  United  States,  they  could  not 
expect  the  favor  of  their  own  civil  government  nor  the 
protection  of  the  laws,  for  the  government  looked  upon 
them  with  a  suspicious  eye.  The  Methodist  preachers 
were  not  allowed  to  consecrate  marriage,  and  it  was  said 
that  forasmuch  as  their  Church  property  was  deeded 
to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  they  could  not 
legally  hold  it.  The  people  still  seemed  very  generally 
to  wish  a  separate  organization.  On  these  accounts  the 
bishops  pledged  themselves  to  use  their  influence  to  effect 
such  an  arrangement  at  the  next  General  Conference. 
On  this  pledge  peace  was  restored. 

"Having  finished  our  mission  in  Canada,  I  took  my 
leave,  feeling  great  peace  in  my  own  soul  and  deep  affec- 
tion for  my  old  and  afflicted  brethren,  for  there  is  no  peo- 
ple on  earth  who  seem  so  near  to  me  as  they,  and  the 
present  visit  has  tended  to  endear  them  to  me  more  than 
ever.  Such  kindness  and  brotherly  affection  they  evinced 
in  all  places,  on  all  occasions,  that  I  could  not  but  love 
them." 

The  agitation  in  Canada  was  checked,  but  not  ex- 
tinguished. In  August,  1827,  Dr.  Bangs  was  again  sent 
to  his  old  friends  to  consult  with  and  advise  them.  He 
Avrites:  "The  Conference  was  held  in  Hamilton,  district 
of  Gore.    As  this  was  the  last  session  before  our  Gen- 


NATHAN  BAXGS,  D.D. 


261 


eral  Conference,  it  became  necessary  for  them  to  come 
to  a  determination  respecting  the  propriety  of  asking  for 
an  independent  organization.  The  Conference  almost 
unanimously  resolved  to  petition  for  such  an  arrange- 
ment. Though  my  own  mind  was  not  perfectly  satisfied 
of  the  expediency  of  the  measure,  I  did  not  feel  at  lib- 
erty to  oppose  it.  On  this  visit  I  had  an  opportunity  of 
renewing  my  acquaintance  with  many  of  my  old  asso- 
ciates, and  many  a  sacred  friendship  was  revived.  These 
old  ties  are  my  most  precious  ones — old  wine  is  better 
than  new." 

SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. 

About  a  year  before  the  close  of  his  present  appoint- 
ment he  assisted  in  founding  another  of  the  great  inter- 
ests of  his  denomination  :  the  "  Sunday-School  Union  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,"  which  was  destined 
to  become  a  mighty  auxiliary  to  the  Book  Concern  by 
the  publication  of  juvenile  volumes  and  periodicals. 
Sunday-schools  had  already  been  generally  introduced 
into  the  Methodist  Societies.  A  Methodist  young  wo- 
man, afterward  the  wife  of  Samuel  Bradburn,  (one 
of  Wesley's  most  eloquent  preachers,)  first  suggested 
their  institution  to  Robert  Raikes,  assisted  him  in  organ- 
izing the  first  school,  and  accompanied  him,  with  its  rag- 
ged procession,  through  the  streets  of  Gloucester  to  the 
parish  church.  John  Wesley  gave  the  plan  and  labors 
of  Robert  Raikes  their  first  public  recognition  in  his 
Arminian  Magazine  of  1785.  The  Methodist  Societies 
of  England  were  the  first  to  incorporate  the  institution 
into  the  Church  as  one  of  its  permanent  agencies,  and 
Bishop  Asbury  formed  the  first  Sunday-school  in  the 
United  States.*  Hitherto,  however,  American  Method- 
ism had  made  no  provision  for  the  general  organization 
or  affiliation  of  its  Sunday-schools.   Rs  Book  Concern 

*  History  of  the  Religious  Movement,  etc.,  called  Methodism,  vol. 
ii,  page  483. 


262 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


had  issued  some  volumes  suitable  for  their  libraries,  but 
no  adequate,  no  systematic  attention  was  given  to  this 
6ort  of  literature.  It  was  obvious,  on  a  moment's  reflec- 
tion, that  an  almost  illimitable  field  for  the  enlargement 
of  the  business  of  the  Concern  and  the  diffusion  of 
useful  knowledge  was  at  its  command  in  this  direction. 
Accordingly  the  "  Union  "  was  organized  on  the  2d  of 
April,  1827.  Dr.  Bangs  says  :  "The  measure  indeed  was 
very  generally  approved,  and  hailed  witli  grateful  delight 
by  our  friends  and  brethren  throughout  the  country.  It 
received  the  sanction  of  the  several  annual  Conferences, 
which  recommended  the  people  of  their  charge  to  form 
auxiliaries  in  every  circuit  and  station,  and  send  to  the 
general  depository  in  New  York  for  their  books ;  and 
such  were  the  zeal  and  unanimity  with  which  they  en- 
tered into  this  work  that  at  the  first  annual  meeting  of 
the  society  there  were  reported  251  auxiliaries,  1,025 
schools,  2,048  superintendents,  10,290  teachers,  and 
G3,240  scholars,  besides  about  2,000  managers  and  visit- 
ors. Never,  therefore,  did  an  institution  go  into  opera- 
tion under  more  favorable  circumstances,  or  was  hailed 
with  a  more  universal  joy,  than  the  Sunday-School  Union 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church."  This  great  suc- 
cess, however,  could  not  save  it  from  the  misfortunes  of 
bad  management.  Under  "an  injudicious  attempt," 
writes  Dr.  Bangs  many  years  later,  "  to  amalgamate  the 
Bible,  Tract,  and  Sunday-school  Societies  together,  by 
which  the  business  of  these  several  societies  might  be 
transacted  by  one  board  of  management,"  and  by  other 
causes,  it  declined,  if  indeed  it  did  not  fail,  until  resusci- 
tated by  the  zeal  of  some  New  York  brethren  and  by 
an  act  of  the  General  Conference  of  1840.  It  passed 
through  modifications  till  it  assumed  its  present  effective 
form  of  organization.  He  lived  to  see  it  grow  into 
colossal  proportions.  Before  his  death  it  reported  (aside 
from  its  offspring  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South)  13,600  schools,  nearly  150,000  teachers  and  officers, 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


263 


and  more  than  826,000  scholars,  more  than  17,000  of 
whom  were  reported  as  converted  during  the  year. 
There  were  in  the  libraries  of  these  schools  more  than 
2,400,000  volumes.  They  were  supported  at  an  annual 
expense  of  nearly  §140,000,  besides  nearly  $12,000 
given  to  the  Union  for  the  assistance  of  poor  schools. 
There  were  circulated  among  them  semi-monthly  nearly 
200,000  "Sunday-School  Advocates,"  the  juvenile  peri- 
odical of  the  Union.  The  number  of  conversions 
among  pupils  of  the  schools,  as  reported  for  the  preced- 
ing fifteen  years,  amounted  to  more  than  233,000,  show- 
ing that  much  of  the  extraordinary  growth  of  the  Church 
is  attributable  to  this  mighty  agency.  The  increase  of 
scholars  during  this  same  period  was  more  than  half  a 
million.  The  Union  has  four  periodicals  for  teachers 
and  scholars,  two  in  English  and  two  in  German,  and 
their  aggregate  circulation  was,  the  year  before  the  death 
of  Dr.  Bangs,  more  than  260,000  per  number ;  the  Teach- 
ers' Journal  being  a  monthly,  the  scholars'  a  bi-monthly 
issue.  Its  catalogue  of  Sunday-school  books  comprises 
more  than  1,300  different  works,  of  which  nearly  a 
million  of  copies  were  issued  in  the  last  year  of  his 
life.  Including  other  issues,  it  has  nearly  two  thousand 
five  hundred  different  publications  adapted  to  the  use  of 
Sunday-schools.  In  fine,  few  if  any  institutions  of  Amer- 
ican Methodism  wield  a  mightier  power  than  its  Sun- 
day-School Union. 

GREAT  SERVICES. 

Thus  concluded  his  eight  years  of  labors  as  "  Book 
Agent,"  a  period  scanty  in  incidents  of  popular  interest, 
but  crowded  witli  signal  services  for  missions,  education, 
and  literature,  besides  continual  preaching,  and  zealous 
attention  to  every  interest  of  the  Church  that  came  with- 
in his  reach.  Considering  both  the  character  and  multi- 
plicity of  these  services,  it  may  be  soberly  doubted 
whether  any  other  one  man  of  the  denomination  achieved 


264 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


for  it  during  this  time  more  important  labors.  The  de- 
nomination was  now  feeling  the  power  of  these  great 
measures  in  all  its  length  and  breadth ;  its  Book  Con- 
cern had  become  a  gigantic  institution ;  its  volumes  and 
periodicals  were  flying  like  the  leaves  of  autumn  over  all 
its  territories;  seminaries  and  colleges  were  rapidly  mul- 
tiplying, and  threatening  even  to  encumber  it  by  their 
excess;  its  missionary  enterprise  had  extended  in  aux- 
iliary branches  from  Conference  to  Conference,  and  was 
fast  extending  from  Church  to  Church ;  its  Sunday- 
School  Union  had  sprang  into  life,  and  was  reaching  one 
arm  around  the  children  while  circling  with  the  other 
a  new  and  immense  department  of  its  publishing  agency. 
To  assert  that  the  Church  owes  these  great  permanent 
powers  exclusively  to  Nathan  Bangs,  would  of  course  be 
extravagant ;  but  to  say  that  he  had  a  chief  agency  in 
them,  an  initial  agency  in  most  of  them,  and  thus  far  a 
more  direct  and  continuous  agency  in  them  than  any 
other  one  man,  is  to  state  but  an  historical  fact.  They 
would  doubtless  have  arisen  in  the  development  of  the 
denomination  without  him ;  but  this  is  a  truism  which 
may  be  affirmed  of  almost  any  great  advancements,  and 
of  their  ostensible  agents  in  any  communities,  civil  or 
religious.  "  Circumstances  make  great  men  "  doubtless, 
though  the  maxim  needs  some  qualification.  It  takes  a 
great  man  usually  to  make  great  use  of  "  circumstances," 
whatever  they  may  be.  Nathan  Bangs  was  providen- 
tially placed  in  positions  in  the  Church  which  gave  him 
the  command  of  auspicious  circumstances  for  the  pro- 
motion of  its  interests  in  some  of  the  most  momentous, 
respects ;  he  used  them  without  abusing  them.  Other 
men  might  have  done  as  well  in  his  circumstances;  but 
lie  being  in  them  availed  himself  of  them,  and  the  record 
of  his  success  is  gratefully  and  forever  in  the  history  of 
the  Church. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


265 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

GENERAL  CONFERENCE  OP  1823. 

Dr.  Bangs  was  elected  a  delegate  of  the  New  York 
Conference  to  the  General  Conference  of  1828.  Such 
was  the  prominence  of  his  position  in  the  Church  that  it 
seemed  now  a  matter  of  course  that  he  should  be  in  its 
supreme  body.  He  headed  the  list  of  eighteen  repre- 
sentatives of  his  Conference,*  among  whom  were  Emory, 
Clark,  Sandford,  Rice,  Ostrander,  Luckey,  Hcman  Bangs, 
and  Burch.  Excepting  the  first  two  days,  devoted 
mostly  to  preliminary  business,  there  is  but  one  of  the 
Journals  in  which  his  name  is  not  recorded  in  connection 
with  some  important  appointment,  motion,  or  discussion. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  committees  on  Missions,  on 
Canada  Affairs,  on  Appeals,  and  on  the  preparation  of 
the  Address  to  the  British  Conference.  As  heretofore, 
he  gave  his  attention  particularly  to  education,  missions, 
and  the  publishing  or  literary  agency  of  the  Church. 
He  procured  the  appointment  of  a  committee  on  the  first 
of  these  important  interests,  consisting  of  such  men  as 
Fisk,  Bascom,  Akcrs,  and  Capers.  He  represented  be- 
fore the  Conference  the  new  Sunday-School  Union,  advo- 
cating it  in  a  speech  ;  and  presented  the  affairs  and  docu- 
ments of  the  Book  Concern  and  the  Missionary  Society. 
At  a  foi  *mer  session  he  had  procured  a  modification  of 
the  rule  requiring  the  biennial  change  of  the  appoint- 
ments of  preachers,  in  favor  of  such  as  might  be  era- 
ployed  in  educational  institutions ;  he  now  obtained  the 
same  relief  for  chaplains  to  seamen,  etc.    He  was  a 

*  Garrettson  was  elected,  but,  as  he  died  before  the  =ession,  his  name 
is  not  given  in  the  list  of  delegates. 


266 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


staunch  advocate  of  the  "  itinerancy,"  but  believed  in  no. 
Procrustean  rule  for  it. 

PROTESTANT  METHODISM. 

He  took  an  active  part  in  "the  discussion  of  the 
questions  introduced  into  the  Conference  by  the  pe- 
titions of  the  "Reformers."  The  agitation  of  these 
questions  had  been  conducted  with  disastrous  violence. 
As  early  as  1820  the  "Reformers"  started  a  jour- 
nal— the  "Wesleyan  Repository" — in  Trenton,  N.  J., 
which  had  assumed  a  tone  of  unjustifiable  belligerence 
against  the  institutions  and  authorities  of  the  Church. 
A  "Union  Society"  was  formed  in  Baltimore  to  pro- 
mote their  designs.  In  1824  they  began  a  periodical, 
"The  Mutual  Rights,"  in  the  latter  city,  and  the  war 
now  raged  with  perilous  severity.  Nicholas  Snethen 
and  Alexander  M'Cain,  men  of  distinction  in  the  minis- 
try, became  champions  of  the  movement.  Henry  B. 
Bascom  wrote  in  defense  of  it.-  Disorders  ensued  which 
led  to  ecclesiastical  trials  and  expulsions.  Dr.  Thomas 
E.  Bond  appeared  in  "An  Appeal  to  the  Methodists"  as 
t  he  defender  of  the  Church.  Compromises  were  attempted, 
but  personal  passions  had  become  so  commingled  with 
the  questions  in  debate  that  pacificatory  counsels  could 
not  be  heeded.  Emory  answered  M'Cain  in  a  memorable 
pamphlet,  "The  Defense  of  our  Fathers."  A  new  so- 
ciety, "The  Associated  Methodist  Reformers,"  was 
organized  in  Baltimore,  and  about  six  months  before  the 
Session  of  the  General  Conference — November,  1827 — 
a  convention  assembled  which  prepared  a  memorial  to 
the  Conference,  which,  together  with  similar  petitions 
from  various  parts  of  the  country,  brought  the  whole 
controversy  before  that  body.  Emory  presented  from 
the  Committee  on  Petitions  an  elaborate  review  of  the 
subject — a  report  written  by  Dr.  Bond — and  the  demands 
of  the  petitioners  were  declined.  The  "Protestant 
Methodist  Church"  soon  after  arose  from  this  unfor- 


NATHAN  BANG-S,  D.D. 


267 


tunate  dispute,  and,  through  many  struggles,  lias  con- 
tinued to  our  day.  The  insurmountable  difficulty  of  the 
controversy  was  the  acrimony,  the  reckless  spirit  with 
which  it  was  conducted.  Dr.  Bangs  hesitates  not  to 
blame  both  sides,  though  he  does  not  admit  the  principal 
charge  of  the  "  Reformers."  He  says,  "  Whoever  will 
consult  the  writings  of  those  days  will  find  complaints, 
on  the  part  of  the  '  Reformers,'  that  an  attempt  was 
made  by  the  advocates  of  the  present  order  of  things  to 
suppress  inquiry,  to  abridge  the  freedom  of  speech  and 
of  the  press,  and  that  trials  were  instituted,  in  part, 
at  least,  as  a  punishment  for  exercising  this  freedom 
on  the  subjects  that  were  then  litigated.  This  was  a 
great  mistake.  It  was  for  an  abuse  of  this  freedom,  for 
indulging  in  criminations  injurious  to  individual  charac- 
ter, that  the  delinquents  were  tried  and  finally  condemned. 
This  will  appear  manifest  to  every  person  who  will  im- 
partially inspect  the  charges,  the  specifications,  and  the 
testimony  selected  from  'The  Mutual  Rights'  to  sup- 
port the  accusations,  and  also  from  the  Report  of  the 
General  Conference  on  petitions  and  memorials.  It  was 
indeed  expressly  disavowed  at  the  time  by  the  prosecut- 
ors, and  by  all  who  had  written  on  the  subject,  that  they 
wished  to  suppress  freedom  of  inquiry,  either  in  writing 
or  speaking,  provided  only  that  the  debaters  would  con- 
fine their  discussions  to  an  investigation  of  facts  and 
arguments,  without  impeaching  +he  character  and  mo- 
tives of  those  from  whom  they  dissented." 

As  conductor  of  the  Magazine,  and  afterward  of  the 
Advocate,  lie  did  not  judge  it  proper  to  plunge  those 
publications — family  periodicals — into  the  controversy. 
The  "Itinerant"  was  established  by  the  Church  party  in 
Baltimore  as  an  independent  organ  of  its  defense.  "At 
last,"  he  says,  "the  spirit  of  contention,  which  had  long 
been  impatient  of  control,  became  wearied,  and  the  com- 
batants gradually  retired  from  the  field  of  controversy, 
the  Itinerant  was  discontinued,  and  the  Christian  Advo- 


268 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


cate  and  Journal,  which  had,  indeed,  said  but  little  on 
the  subject,  proposed  a  truce,  which  seemed  to  be  gladly 
accepted  by  the  dissentient  brethren,  and  they  were  left 
to  try  the  strength  of  their  newly-formed  system  without 
further  molestation  from  their  old  brethren." 

SEPARATION  OF  CANADA. 

He  took  an  active  part  at  this  session  in  the  question 
of  an  independent  organization  of  the  Upper  Canada 
Conference,  being  chairman  of  the  committee  to  which 
that  subject  was  referred.  In  his  manuscript  notes  I  find 
the  following  remarks  upon  it:  "The  prayer  of  the  pe- 
titioners was  granted ;  that  is  to  say,  it  was  left  for  the 
Canada  Conference,  if  they  saw  fit,  at  their  next  session, 
or  at  any  time  previously  to  the  next  General  Confer- 
ence, to  form  themselves  into  an  independent  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  with  liberty  to  elect,  either  from 
among  themselves  or  from  the  United  States,  a  bishop,  one 
or  more  of  our  bishops  having  liberty  to  consecrate 
him  to  that  office.  Knowing  that  the  Canada  brethren 
had  their  eye  on  me  as  their  bishop,  and  feeling  a  great 
reluctance  to  comply  with  their  wishes,  and  at  the  same 
time  fearing  that  the  new  organization  itself  was  prema- 
ture, if  not,  indeed,  wrong,  I  felt  it  to  be  my  duty  at  first 
to  oppose  the  adoption  of  this  measure,  so  very  import- 
ant itself,  and  involving  so  many  interests  in  its  conse- 
quences. In  the  first  place,  I  doubted  the  constitutional 
power  of  the  General  Conference  to  divide  the  Church 
by  declaring  an  Annual  Conference  separate  and  inde- 
pendent. They  might  declare  it  themselves,  and  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  might  acknowledge  their  independence, 
if  it  saw  tit.  Secondly,  I  doubted  the  expediency  of  the 
measure.  The  Canada  Conference  was  composed  of  but 
few  preachers,  young  in  experience,  and  much  shaken  by 
faction.  The  end  also  proposed  to  be  attained — im- 
portant privileges  from  government — I  thought  very 
problematical.    On  these  accounts,  and  others  which 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


269 


might  be  mentioned,  I  could  not  consent  to  give  my 
voice  in  favor  of  such  a  resolution.  But  when  the  sub- 
ject was  presented  on  a  reconsideration  in  a  modified 
shape,  so  as  to  leave  it  optional  with  the  Canadian  Con- 
ference to  declare  itself  independent  on  its  own  responsi- 
bility, though  I  still  had  fears  as  to  the  final  result,  my 
mind  was  relieved,  and  I  gave  it  my  feeble  support. 

"  No  one  can  tell,  but  such  as  have  had  similar  experi- 
ence, what  were  my  anxieties  on  this  trying  occasion.  I 
sometimes  feared  that  I  had  allowed  my  repugnance  to 
triumph  over  my  judgment,  and  had  resisted  the  dictates 
of  my  conscience,  and  perhaps  grieved  the  spirit  of  God, 
to  gratify  my  own  inclination,  for  I  felt  an  unconquerable 
aversion  to  accept  the  call  of  my  brethren  to  go  to 
Canada  as  their  superintendent.  I  finally,  after  the  dis- 
cussions of  the  Conference  were  over,  and  the  Canada 
delegates  had  made  known  their  wishes  as  to  my  ap- 
pointment as  their  bishop,  suspended  any  definite  answer, 
telling  them  that  they  should  hear  from  me  in  sufficient 
time  not  to  embarrass  their  plans.  Accordingly,  a  little 
before  their  next  session,  I  wrote  to  them  that  I  definitive- 
ly declined,  and  they  elected  Dr.  Wilbur  Fisk,  a  man 
every  way  qualified  for  the  office.  He,  however,  de- 
clined also.  Besides  the  reasons  for  my  declining,  al- 
ready alluded  to,  serious  objections  arose  from  the 
state  of  my  family.  My  wife,  children,  almost  all  my 
relations  whom  I  could  consult,  were  decidedly  against 
my  going  to  Canada.  Still,  I  must  confess  that  these 
objections  do  not  entirely  satisfy  my  mind.  There  is  a 
secret  something  which  iutimates  that  it  may  have  been 
my  duty  to  have  gone.  He  that  loveth  father  or  mother, 
Avife  or  children,  brother  or  sister,  houses  or  lands,  (of  these 
last  I  have,  thank  God !  none,)  is  not  worthy  of  me, 
sounds  in  my  ears,  and  sometimes  makes  me  tremble  for 
myself.  I  must  leave  the  event  to  my  merciful  God, 
praying  him,  as  my  heavenly  Father,  to  pardon  me  if  I 
were  wrong."    These  remarks  were  written  soon  after 


270 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


the  events  alluded  to.  The  history  of  the  Canada 
Church  in  later  years  could  hardly  fail  to  confirm  his  ap- 
prehensions. 

PROSPERITY  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

Notwithstanding  the  internal  commotions  of  the 
Church  during  the  last  four  years,  its  attitude  at  the  time 
of  this  General  Conference  was  one  of  commanding 
strength.  The  ratio  of  representation  had,  by  the  growth 
of  the  ministry,  increased  greatly  the  magnitude  of  the 
Conference.  There  were  present  one  hundred  and 
seventy  delegates  from  seventeen  Annual  Conferences. 
The  New  York  and  Genesee  Conferences  had  each 
eighteen,  Philadelphia  fifteen,  New  England  seventeen. 
The  aggregate  of  communicants  was  nearly  three  hund- 
red and  eighty-two  thousand ;  the  aggregate  of  travel- 
ing preachers,  sixteen  hundred.  The  increase  for  the 
quadrennial  period  was  nearly  seventy  thousand  mem- 
bers, and  three  hundred  and  fifty  preachers.*  The  great 
agencies  and  permanent  interests  of  the  Church,  its  Edu- 
cational institutions,  its  Sunday-School  Union,  its  Mission- 
ary enterprise,  its  literature  and  Book  Concern,  had 
grown  vigorously.  The  Book  Concern  now  required  a 
further  division  of  labor.  Dr.  Bangs's  constitutional 
term  of  office,  as  agent,  having  expired,  Dr.  Emory  and 
Beverly  Waugh  (both  afterward  bishops)  were  elected 
agents ;  but  the  editorship  of  the  Christian  Advocate 
was  made  a  distinct  office,  and  Dr.  Bangs  appointed  to 
it.  He  was  thus  again  returned  to  the  virtual  head- 
quarters of  the  Church,  which  he  had  so  long  and  so 
ably  occupied  at  New  York. 

*  My  estimates  are  made  from  the  last  General  Minutes  preceding 
the  sessions  of  1824  and  1828,  respectively. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


271 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

EDITORIAL  LABORS. 

Of  his  reappointment  to  New  York  in  1828  Dr.  Bangs 
wrote:  "I  considered  it  as  another  providential  opening, 
for  which  I  felt  deeply  thankful,  as  my  family  circumstan- 
ces rendered  it  extremely  difficult,  if  not  entirely  impos- 
sible, for  me  to  move  from  one  place  to  another.  Were  it 
not  for  these  domestic  embarrassments  I  should  much  pre- 
fer to  be  exclusively  devoted  to  the  work  of  the  ministry. 
I  write  under  a  grateful  sense  of  the  loving-kindness  of 
my  heavenly  Father,  who  has  so  mercifully  provided  for 
me  and  mine."  His  new  office  imposed  upon  him  excess- 
ive tasks.  Besides  the  editorial  labors  of  the  weekly 
journal,  he  was  editor  and  publisher  of  the  "Child's 
Magazine,"  of  Sunday-school  Books  and  Tracts,  and  ex 
officio  a  member  of  the  New  York  Book  Committee, 
and,  what  must  seem  odd  enough  in  our  day,  he  had 
charge  of  all  the  clerks  and  "  all  business  connected  with 
the  Advocate  department" — so  prescribed  the  law,  as  en- 
acted at  this  session  of  the  General  Conference.  Mean- 
while he  was  the  chief  agent  in  the  operations  of  the 
Missionary  Society,  its  representative  before  the  general 
Church,  the  commanding  man  in  all  the  meetings  of  its 
managers,  the  writer  of  all  its  Annual  Reports. 

DOMESTIC  BLESSINGS  AND  TRIALS. 

On  the  10th  of  January,  1829,  he  was  cheered  with 
the  information  that  one  of  his  sons  was  converted  at 
the  AVilbraham  Academy;  and,  some  time  before,  another, 
William  M'Kendree  Bangs,  had  entered  upon  a  circuit  as 
an  itinerant  preacher.    He  records  his  delight  at  this 


272 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


fact ;  for,  though  no  man  knew  better  the  hardships  of 
the  itinerancy,  especially  to  a  young  man,  no  one  held 
it  in  higher  honor. 

"This,"  he  writes,  "  was  the  most  joyful  news  I  had 
ever  received.  I  have  often  thought  that  should  I  live 
to  see  my  children  converted  it  would  be  the  consumma- 
tion of  my  happiness  on  earth.  It  has,  therefore,  been 
my  constant  prayer,  that,  above  all  things,  they  may  be 
led  to  give  their  heai'ts  unto  God.  And  I  thank  him 
that  two  of  my  sons  and  my  eldest  daughter  have  af- 
forded me  this  unspeakable  happiness." 

A  few  weeks  later  he  was  tried  by  a  severe  attack  of 
sickness,  and  Buffered  some  time  under  a  prostrating  bil- 
ious fever.  "  But,"  he  says,  "  I  had  great  calmness  of 
mind,  and  a  sweet  resignation  to  the  will  of  God,  and 
felt  that  I  could  resign  wife  and  children  and  all  things 
into  his  hands  without  any  anxiety.  The  dread  of  death 
was  gone ;  still  I  Avas  conscious  of  a  wish  to  live  on  and 
work  in  the  Church,  that  I  might  see  more  generally  the 
salvation  of  God.  The  fever  subsided  and  my  health 
returned.  On  the  day  after  the  fever  was  broken,  while 
sitting  alone  in  my  room,  musing  on  the  mercy  of  God 
to  me,  such  a  sense  of  his  goodness  rested  upon  me,  and 
the  smiles  of  his  reconciled  countenance  were  so  manifest 
to  me,  that  my  eyes  overflowed  with  tears,  and  I  shouted 
his  praise  aloud.  I  felt  as  if  I  would  proclaim  his  good- 
ness to  all  men.  As  soon  as  I  had  opportunity  I  testi- 
fied my  gratitude.  To  a  dear  friend,  whose  visits  had 
been  most  cheering  to  my  spirit  during  ray  illness,  I 
expressed  the  extraordinary  comforts  of  my  soul. 
The  next  Sunday  I  preached  on  Psalm  cxvi,  12-14: 
'  What  shall  I  render  unto  the  Lord  for  all  his  benefits 
toward  me  ?  I  will  take  the  cup  of  salvation,  and  call 
upon  the  name  of  the  Lord.  I  will  pay  my  vows  unto 
the  Lord  now  in  the  presence  of  all  his  people.'  It  was 
a  time  of  refreshing  to  my  soul,  and  I  believe  to  the 
souls  of  many  of  God's  dear  children.    This  season  of 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


273 


affliction  was  very  beneficial  to  me.  I  had  enjoyed  such 
uninterrupted  health  for  years  that  I  thought  I  could 
endure  almost  any  labor ;  but  God  now  showed  me  my 
real  frailty,  and  my  entire  dejiendence  upon  him  for  all 
things — for  strength  of  body  as  well  as  for  peace  of 
mind." 

LITERARY  LABORS. 

He  prosecuted  his  editorial  labors  with  energy  during 
this  quadrennial  period,  preaching  meanwhile  habitually 
on  the  Sabbath,  and  diligently  sharing  in  the  manage- 
ment of  almost  every  interest  of  Methodism  in  the  city. 
Freed  from  much  of  the  business  drudgery  of  the  Book 
Concern,  he  devoted  himself,  writes  his  friend,  Dr. 
M'Clintock,  "to  the  Advocate  and  Magazine  with  eminent 
success.  The  editorial  columns  of  the  Advocate  during 
these  four  years  show  a  vast  amount  of  fresh  and  vig- 
orous writing.  The  wonder  is  that,  with  little  or  no 
paid  assistance,  Dr.  Bangs  was  able  to  give  so  great  a 
variety  of  matter  with  such  amplitude  of  discussion,  not 
merely  on  questions  of  the  passing  hour,  but  also  on 
topics  of  permanent  theological  interest.  Nor  was  his 
literary  labor  confined  to  the  newspaper.  In  1829  he 
published  his  'Life  of  the  Rev.  Freeborn  Garrettson,' 
which  is  not  only  precious  to  the  Church  as  a  biography 
of  one  of  her  noblest  preachers,  but  also  valuable  as  a 
contribution  to  the  history  of  Methodism.  In  1832  ap- 
peared the  'Authentic  History  of  the  Missions  under 
the  care  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.'  This 
work  was  exceedingly  opportune  to  the  wants  of  the 
Church  at  the  time;  it  was  greeted  with  general  satisfac- 
tion, and  contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  stimulate  the 
missionary  spirit  of  thy  people." 

His  Life  of  Garrettson  was  written  at  the  dying  request 
of  that  veteran  preacher.  From  the  time  when,  a 
youth  on  his  way  from  Canada  to  the  New  York  Confer- 
ence, he  had  found  shelter  under  the  hospitable  roof  of 
the  patriarch  at  Rhinebeck,  they  had  been  mutually  en- 
18 


274 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  uF 


deared  friends.  They  were  congenial  spirits ;  their  labors 
and  trials  had  been  somewhat  similar,  and  no  other  two 
men  had  been  more  ardently  and  uniformly  zealous  for 
Methodism,  which  they  deemed  a  genuine  reproduction 
of  primitive  Christianity.  In  the  year  in  which  Dr. 
Bangs  began  his  ministry,  Garrettson  published  an  ac- 
count of  his  own  travels  and  labors,  extending  over 
thirty-nine  years.  This  romantic  record  reached*  the 
young  itinerant  in  the  wilds  of  Canada,  and  left  an  im- 
pression on  his  mind  which  was  never  erased.  Garrett- 
son loved  him  with  the  affection  of  a  father.  He  knew 
that  he  could  trust  his  manuscripts  to  him  as  an  able  and 
conscientious  writer,  for  hitherto  Dr.  Bangs  had  ranked 
at  the  head  of  all  American  Methodists  who  had  ven- 
tured before  the  public  as  authors.  The  book  had  im- 
mediate success.  It  passed  through  four  editions  in 
about  two  years  and  a  half.  It  was  substantially  a  his- 
tory of  American  Methodism,  and  its  composition  was  a 
prelude  and  a  preparation  for  his  later  and  greatest  work, 
the  "History  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church."  His 
History  of  its  Missions  was  the  product  of  his  own 
personal  knowledge  of  and  agency  in  the  missionary  en- 
terprise of  his  denomination.  It  afforded  information 
which  has  ever  since  given  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  an  important  rank  in  the  general  history  of  mod- 
ern missions,  and  has  been  the  basis  of  all  later  accounts 
of  our  missionary  operations.  It  was  a  labor  of  love, 
written  amid  his  many  other  literary  cares,  and  its 
copyright  was  given  to  the  missionary  treasury. 

While  it  was  not  deemed  proper  to  occupy  the  columns 
of  the  Magazine,  or  of  the  Advocate,  with  the  contro- 
versy of  the  "Reformers,"  as  this  was  yet  an  internal 
dispute  of  the  Church  itself,  and  could  be  better  confided 
to  independent  or  unofficial  journals,*  Dr.  Bangs  never- 

*  After  it  became,  however,  an  external  controversy,  by  the  separate 
organization  of  the  "Reformers,"  it  was  more  fully  treated  in  these 
periodicals. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


275 


theless  defended  vigorously  his  denomination  through 
his  editorial  columns  against  exterior  hostilities.  Ho 
wielded,  indeed,  a  battle-ax  against  her  assailants. 
There  seemed  to  be  about  this  time  a  simultaneous 
movement  of  Calvinistic  sects  against  Methodism.  Its 
extraordinary  progress  created  alarm;  it  appeared  rap- 
idly to  be  taking  possession  of  the  country  ;  and  was  evi- 
dently destined  to  be,  numerically,  at  least,  the  dominant 
faith  of  the  nation.  Its  doctrines  were,  in  some  respects, 
so  distinctive  that  conscientious  men  of  other  oreeds, 
especially  Calvinists,  could  not  see  this  prospect  without 
anxiety,  notwithstanding  the  unquestionable  salutary 
influence  of  the  denomination  on  the  masses.  The 
"  Christian  Spectator,"  a  quarterly  review,  conducted  by 
professors  of  Yale  College,  commenced  an  energetic 
attack  on  the  Theology  and  Discipline  of  the  Church, 
ami  the  Calvinistic  papers  generally  copied  its  erroneous 
representations.  The  discussion,  as  usual,  became  ex- 
tremely acrimonious  ;  it  lost  itself  in  side  issues ;  new 
questions  displaced  the  old  ones;  new  batteries  were 
opened  in  unexpected  quarters,  and  the  confusion  of 
battle  raged  generally.  Methodism  now  learned  the  im- 
portance of  its  periodical  press,  and  the  vigor  of  the 
man  who  had  charge  of  that  mighty  instrument.  Every 
serious  blow  against  it  was  ably  repulsed.  Whatever 
assaults  have  since  been  made  on  American  Methodism 
have  been  but  as  the  faint  reverberations  of  these  mem- 
orable years.  The  American  religious  public  have  since 
come  to  recognize  the  denomination  with  general  respect. 
The  Methodistic  champion  years  afterward  justly  con- 
gratulated the  Church  on  the  result.  "  The  discussion," 
he  says,  "  tended  to  enlighten  the  public  mind  on  these 
subjects,  to  make  our  doctrines,  usages,  labors,  and  suc- 
cess more  generally  known  and  more  justly  appreciated, 
and  thus  strengthened  the  hands  and  cheered  the  hearts 
of  the  members  and  friends  of  our  Church.  It  tended 
likewise  to  convince  our  opponents,  that  if  they  presumed 


276 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


to  misrepresent  or  to  slander  us,  we  had  the  means  ot  self 
defense,  and  an  ability  and  disposition  to  use  them  ;  and 
that  when  the  facts  were  clearly  stated,  our  doctrines 
and  manner  of  propagating  them  fully  explained,  we 
should  not  be  considered  such  dangerous  heresiarchs  as 
we  had  been  represented  to  be.  We  are  glad  to  know, 
however,  that  these  days  of  strife  are  past,  and  that  a 
more  friendly  and  amicable  spirit  prevails.  We  hope, 
therefore,  that  hereafter  we  may  mutually  strive  only  to 
'  provoke  one  another  to  love  and  good  works.'  " 

GENERAL  CONFERENCE  OF  1832. 

In  1832  he  was  again  deputed  by  his  Conference  to 
the  General  Conference,  which  began  its  session  on  the 
1st  of  May,  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  He  was  still  first 
on  the  list  of  his  delegation,  which  included  nineteen 
men,  among  whom  were  Merwin,  Sandford,  Ostrander, 
Clark,  Rice,  Richardson,  Emory,  and  Levings.  By 
the  great  growth  of  the  Church  the  General  Conference 
had  now  become  unwieldy ;  it  comprised  no  less  than 
two  hundred  and  twenty-three  members,  representing 
nineteen  annual  Conferences.  The  numerical  gains  of 
the  denomination  in  the  last  four  years  had  been  great, 
notwithstanding  the  schism  of  the  "Reformers"  and 
the  rage  of  external  controversies.  Its  aggregate  mem- 
bership was  more  than  513,000;  its  aggregate  trav- 
eling ministry  more  than  2,000.  Their  increase  since 
the  last  quadrennial  session  was  more  than  131,000  mem- 
bers and  434  preachers. 

GREAT  SERVICES. 

The  uniformity  with  which  Dr.  Bangs  took  a  leading 
part  at  former  sessions  in  the  chief  interests  of  the  de- 
nomination remains  unbroken  in  the  Journals  of  tho 
present  Conference.  He  was  chairman  of  the  commit- 
tees on  its  Missions,  its  Sunday-school,  Bible,  and  Tract 
Societies;  and  was  a  member  with  Ostrander  and  Waugh 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


277 


of  the  Committee  on  the  Revision  of  the  Discipline.  He 
never  lost  sight  of  the  sufferings  of  his  ministerial  breth- 
ren, and  with  Dr.  Capers  procured  the  enactment  of  a 
law  by  which  the  "  allowances  "  and  "  deficiencies  "  of 
the  preachers,  especially  of  the  superannuated,  and  the 
Avidows  and  orphans  of  the  ministry,  together  with  the 
contributions  and  deficiencies  of  every  circuit  and  station, 
should  be  annually  reported  in  the  respective  Confer- 
ences and  published  in  the  Minutes.  Thus  originated 
the  annual  exhibit  of  these  facts,  which  has  ever  since 
continued  to  be  a  chief  feature  of  the  Minutes,  and 
which,  by  revealing  the  enormous  deficiencies  of  the 
preachers'  "  allowance,"  and  the  liberality  or  parsimony 
of  the  individual  circuits  or  stations,  has  effectually 
tended  to  improve  our  ministerial  finances.  He  attempt- 
ed, though  without  success,  to  effect  a  modification  in 
the  trial  of  preachers,  by  which  the  General  Conference 
might  be  relieved  of  the  excessive  troubles  of  judicial 
appeals ;  a  measure  which  that  body  has  found  it 
absolutely  necessary  to  adopt  in  our  day.  With  the 
same  delegate  who  seconded  this  motion  he  attempted 
a  much  more  momentous  measure,  but  without  present 
success.  Such  was  the  importance  which  he  attached 
to  the  intellectual  improvement  of  the  ministry,  that  as 
early  as  the  session  of  1816  he  reported,  as  chairman  of 
the  Committee  on  "  Ways  and  Means,"  in  favor  of  a 
Course  of  Study  for  ministerial  candidates,  making  it  the 
duty  of  the  bishops,  or  a  committee  by  them  appointed, 
to  prepare  it,  and  of  the  presiding  elders  to  enforce  it 
among  their  young  preachers.  No  candidate  was  to  be 
"  received  into  full  connection "  unless  he  could  give 
satisfactory  evidence  of  his  attention  to  this  requirement. 
This  would  seem  to  us  a  somewhat  irrelevant  matter  for 
the  Committee  on  "  Ways  and  Means ;"  but  as  it  was 
the  province  of  that  committee  to  report  measures  which 
might  promote  the  support  and  effectiveness  of  the 
ministry,  and  as  Dr.  Hangs  deemed  the  intellectual  im- 


278 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


provement  of  the  ministry  one  of  the  surest  guarantees 
of  its  pecuniary  support,  he  ventured  to  propose  this 
rule.  It  was  adopted,  and  may  be  considered  the  founda- 
tion stone  of  ministerial  education  in  the  denomination ; 
a  slight  one  indeed,  but  sure  and  steadfast,  and  ample 
enough  for  the  condition  of  the  ministry  at  that  time. 
All  our  subsequent  plans  of  ministerial  improvement 
have  proceeded  from  this  beginning.  It  has  been  more 
potent  by  its  indirect  than  by  its  direct  effects.  The 
measure  remained  thus  till  the  present  session,  when, 
in  connection  with  Benjamin  M.  Drake,  he  proposed 
important  modifications  of  it,  extending  the  required 
Course  of  Study  to  four  years,  and  requiring  the  ap- 
pointment of  examining  committees  for  the  different 
classes  of  candidates.  This  would  have  been  indeed 
a  stride  forward;  but  the  Conference  was  not  yet 
prepared  for  it,  and  it  was  laid  on  the  table.  It  would 
have  put  a  great  proportion  of  the  ministry — all  the 
deacons  as  well  as  all  unordained  candidates — under 
a  sytematic  literary  training,  subjecting  them  to  annual 
examinations  through  a  period  as  long  as  the  usual  time 
required  for  collegiate  graduation.  Though  it  failed  at 
this  session,  its  final  success  was  certain.  At  the  ses- 
sion of  1844  it  became  a  law  of  the  Discipline,  and  has 
ever  since  been  steadily  maintained. 

At  former  sessions  we  have  seen  him  procuring  an  ac- 
commodation of  the  disciplinary  rule,  which  requires  an- 
nual or  biennial  changes  of  the  ministerial  appointments 
in  favor  of  the  permanent  appointment  of  chaplains  and 
professors  in  the  colleges  and  teachers  in  the  seminaries 
of  the  denomination.  He  now  united  with  Dr.  Martin 
Rater  in  a  successful  effort  to  obtain  a  similar  accommo- 
dation for  preachers  who  might  be  elected  professors  in 
colleges  not  belonging  to  the  Church.  In  other  import- 
ant proceedings  of  the  session  did  he  also  take  an  active 
part.  He  was  especially  gratified  with  the  evidence  pre- 
sented at  this  Conference  of  the  success  of  the  ecluca- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


279 


tioual  measures  which  he  had  the  honor  of  first  introduc- 
ing in  the  General  Conference,  after  the  failure  of  the 
early  efforts  of  Coke  and  Asbury  at  Abingdon  and  Balti- 
more. The  bishops,  in  their  address,  pronounced  the 
result  "  a  noble  work,"  and  could  now  say  that  "  most 
of  the  Annual  Conferences  have  established  literary  in- 
stitutions. In  some  cases  this  has  been  done  by  single 
Conferences,  in  others  by  two  or  more  Conferences  united. 
Most  of  these  institutions,  though  iu  an  infant  state,  are 
flourishing  and  prosperous,  and  promise  great  usefulness 
to  the  community  in  general,  and  to  the  Methodist 
Church  in  particular.  We  cannot  but  regard  this  as  a 
subject  of  vital  interest  to  the  connection  at  large." 

Besides  its  numerous  academies,  (all  of  them  boarding- 
schools,)  the  Church  had  now  no  less  than  five  collegiate 
institutions:  Augusta  College,  Ky.,  with  Ruter  for  its 
president,  and  Durbin,  Toinlinson,  and  Bascom  among 
its  professors ;  the  "Wesleyan  University  at  Middletown, 
Conn.,  under  the  presidency  of  Fisk;  Madison  College, 
replaced  by  Alleghany  College,  Pa.,  under  the  presidency 
of  Fielding ;  that  of  Lagrange,  Ala.,  with  Robert  Paine 
for  president ;  and  that  of  Randolph  Macon,  Va.,  under 
Olin.  He  witnessed  also  now  the  almost  universal  ex- 
tension, through  the  states  and  territories  of  the  nation, 
of  his  other  favorite  cause,  the  Missionary  Society. 
Hitherto  it  had  been  prosecuted  as  a  domestic  scheme, 
comprehending  the  frontier  circuits,  the  slaves,  the  free 
colored  people,  and  the  Indian  tribes  ;  it  had  achieved 
great  success  in  this  wide  field,  and  was  now  strong 
enough  to  reach  abroad  to  other  lands.  It  proposed, 
with  the  sanction  of  this  Conference,  to  plant  its  standard 
on  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  send  agents  to  Mexico  and 
South  America  to  ascertain  the  possibility  of  missions  in 
those  countries.  Thus  were  begun  those  foreign  opera- 
tions of  the  society  which  have  since  become  its  most  in- 
teresting labors. 


280 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


DECLINES  THE  EPISCOPAL  OFFICE. 

He  was  urged  by  many  of  his  brethren  to  consent  tw 
be  a  candidate  for  the  episcopal  office  at  this  session. 
"  I  have  no  reason,"  he  writes,  "  to  doubt  that  I  might 
have  been  elected  by  a  large  majority  had  I  consented  ; 
but  this  I  could  not  do  consistently  with  my  views  of 
propriety."  He  believed  that  his  domestic  circumstances 
did  not  justify  the  long  absence  from  home  which  the 
office  required ;  he  also  believed  that  the  position  he  oc- 
cupied, in  connection  with  the  great  enterprises  of  the 
Church — its  missions,  Sunday-schools,  literature,  and 
publishing  house — an  equally  honorable,  and  a  much 
more  useful  sphere  of  labor.  Besides  these  considera- 
tions, there  was  throughout  his  noble  nature— a  nature 
robust  for  all  useful  labors,  and  courageous  for  all  neces- 
sary contests — a  vein  of  diffident  modesty,  which  made 
him  shrink  from  any  promotion  which,  with  whatever 
advantages  of  power  and  usefulness,  imposed  the  con- 
ventional restraints  of  official  dignity.  Few  men  have 
ever  been  at  once  more  constitutionally  brave  and  diffident 
than  Nathan  Bangs.  Official  duties  sat  well  upon  him, 
but  never  official  houors.  His  shield  was  bright  and 
impenetrable,  but  could  bear  no  heraldic  symbols ;  the 
hilt  of  his  sword  was  simply  its  handle,  not  its  decora- 
tion. He  venerated  the  episcopal  office  of  his  Church, 
and  estimated  highly  the  capability  and  utility  of  its 
functions  in  the  Methodistic  government ;  but  he  believed 
there  were  much  more  useful  positions  in  the  denomina- 
tion, and  he  instinctively  shrunk  from  the  reverential  at- 
tentions with  which  the  people  so  justly  treated  the 
office.  His  associate  in  the  Book  Concern,  John  Emory, 
and  James  O.  Andrew,  were  elected  bishops,  and  he  him- 
self was  appointed  to  a  new  editorial  post  at  New  York. 

FIRST  EDITOR  OF  THE  QUARTERLY  REVIEW. 

The  book  agents  had  found  it  desirable,  in  1830,  to 
change  the  Magazine  from  a  monthly  miscellany  to  the 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


281 


more  important  character  of  a  Quarterly  Review.  Be- 
sides the  weekly  "Advocate,"  they  now  issued  the 
"Child's  Magazine"  and  the  "Youth's  Instructor." 
"  For  the  ordinary  purposes,"  they  remarked,  "  of  intel- 
ligence, and  for  general  miscellaneous  articles,  which  for 
such  mediums  of  communication  must  necessarily  be 
short,  these  periodicals  seem  to  be  sufficient.  It  may  be 
remarked,  also,  that  many  of  the  topics  which  formerly 
gave  value  to  the  monthly  numbers  of  our  Magazine — 
the  religious  narratives  and  lighter  miscellanies — now 
find,  since  the  introduction  of  a  weekly  religious  news- 
paper, their  appropriate  place  in  that  vehicle.  Indeed, 
it  has  often  happened,  since  the  commencement  of  our 
weekly  paper,  that  after  having  much  of  the  matter  for 
the  Magazine  actually  in  type,  or  even  on  the  press,  be- 
fore we  could  get  it  into  circulation,  it  has  been  antici- 
pated and  spread  abroad  through  the  speedier  medium 
of  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal."  These  were 
good  reasons  for  the  transformation  of  the  Magazine;  but 
the  clear  discernment  of  Emory  (who  doubtless  wrote 
the  prospectus)  saw  other  and  higher  reasons.  He  could 
appreciate  the  moral  and  intellectual  progress  of  the  de- 
nomination and  its  prospective  necessities  and  capacities. 
The  Quarterly  Review,  as  a  commanding  organ  of 
opinion,  he  perceived  to  be  its  next  intellectual  want. 
"For  this  class  of  periodicals,"  he  says,  "there  is  cer- 
tainly a  greater  vacancy  in  the  department  of  theological 
journals  at  the  present  day  than  in  any  other,  and  par- 
ticularly in  our  own  denomination.  There  is  danger, 
too,  of  satisfying  ourselves  on  one  hand  with  light  and 
transient  reading,  and  on  the  other  with  light  and  tran- 
sient writing.  We  yet  need  a  journal  which  shall  draw 
forth  the  most  matured  efforts  of  our  best  writers,  wheth- 
er in  the  ministry  or  among  other  intelligent  and  liter- 
ary contributors ;  where,  also,  they  may  have  room  for 
ampler  and  more  exact  discussion  in  a  record  which 
shall  endure  for  the  inspection  of  posterity.    Tliere  are 


282 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


very  many,  also,  in  the  wide  circle  of  our  friends  who 
have  both  taste  and  adequate  means  for  patronizing  such 
a  work ;  and  one  such  is  highly  desirable,  as  well  for 
their  satisfaction,  as  to  lead  others  to  the  cultivation  of  a 
similar  taste." 

Dr.  Bangs  had  the  honor  to  be  appointed  the  first 
editor  of  this  highest  periodical  of  the  Church — another 
of  the  many  primary  distinctions  which  seemed  so  spon- 
taneously to  devolve  upon  him  in  the  rapid  progress  of 
American  Methodism.  He  was  to  live  to  see  it  com- 
mand a  more  extensive  circulation  than  any  other  similar 
periodical  of  the  New  World,  and  to  take  literary  rank 
among  the  first  of  religious  quarterlies. 

Dr.  J.  P.  Durbin  was  elected  his  successor  in  the 
editorship  of  the  "Advocate,"  but  in  about  a  year  and 
a  half  resigned  that  office.  At  the  request  of  the  Book 
Committee,  its  laborious  duties  were  again  undertaken 
by  Dr.  Bangs,  in  addition  to  those  of  the  Quarterly  Re- 
view. Dr.  John  M'Clintock,  who  was  himself  con- 
nected with  the  Book  Concern  about  this  time,  remarks 
that  "  in  estimating  the  value  and  extent  of  his  labors,  as 
editor  of  the  Quarterly,  we  must  remember  that  he  was 
not  allowed  to  pay  for  contributions ;  the  pages  of  the 
Review  had  to  be  filled  by  his  own  pen,  by  voluntary 
writers,  or  by  selections  from  other  journals.  Looking 
in  this  light  at  the  contents  of  the  volumes  from  1832  to 
1836,  we  are  not  surprised  to  find  them  deficient  in  the 
breadth  of  scholarship,  variety  of  range,  and  elegance  of 
style  which  have  characterized  the  later  years  of  the 
Review.  It  is  hard  work  to  make  bricks  without  straw. 
But  it  would  be  a  great  mistake  to  conclude  hastily  that 
because  the  Review,  now  in  the  strength  of  its  man- 
hood— with  a  large  body  of  paid  contributors,  and  hav- 
ing a  body  of  readers  of  far  higher  education  than  our 
Church  could  furnish  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago — is  so  far 
in  advance  of  the  earlier  volumes  that  these  last  are  of 
no  wortli.    Many  of  the  editor's  contributions,  especially, 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


283 


are  of  permanent  literary  and  historical  value,  especially 
those  on  'Scholastic  Divinity,'  'Robert  Hall's  Works,' 
'  Richard  Baxter,'  '  Stuart  on  Romans,'  '  The  Origin 
of  Language,'  '  Magee  on  Atonement,'  'Abraham's 
Guests,'  and  the  'Life  of  Adum  Clarke.'  During  these 
four  years,  also,  Dr.  Bangs  edited  a  number  of  books  for 
the  General  Catalogue."  It  is  a  proof  of  the  laborious 
energy  of  his  mind  that,  while  thus  burdened  with  duties, 
as  editor  of  the  Quarterly,  of  the  Advocate,  and  also  of 
the  General  Book  Catalogue,  he  produced,  in  1834,  a 
volume  of  "Letters  to  a  Young  Preacher."  It  was  a 
necessity  of  the  times,  meeting  with  admirable  appropri- 
ateness the  wants  of  the  growing  ministry  of  Methodism, 
Having  an  extensive  circulation,  and  discussing  a  great 
variety  of  topics  in  relation  to  books  aud  study,  as  well 
as  ministerial  labors  and  decorum,  it  made  a  wide  and 
deep  impression  on  the  younger  portion  of  the  itinerant 
ministry,  who  composed  more  than  half  its  numerical 
strength. 

CONTROVERSY  WITH  BISHOP  EMORY. 

A  characteristic  controversy  took  place  between  him 
and  Bishop  Emory  in  the  Christian  Advocate,  in  1834 — 
characteristic  as  illustrating  Dr.  Bangs's  regard  for  the 
law  of  the  Church  and  the  rights  of  its  ministry.  The 
debate  ended  in  a  cordial  reconciliation  of  the  two  dis- 
putants;  and  it  might,  therefore,  well  enough  be  ignored 
here  had  not  Dr.  Bangs  deemed  it  misrepresented  in  the 
"  Life  and  Times  of  Bishop  Hedding,"  and  left  express 
directions  that  if  any  record  of  his  own  life  should  be 
published,  the  alleged  misrepresentation  should  be  cor- 
rected. The  General  Conference  had  provided,  as  we 
have  seen,  for  a  course  of  study  to  be  prepared  by  the 
bishops,  and  to  be  obligatory  on  candidates  for  member- 
ship in  the  Annual  Conferences.  Bishop  Emory,  with 
the  advice  of  the  Mississippi  Conference,  had  divided  this 
"  course,"  so  as  to  extend  it  through  four  years,  thus 


284 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OP 


imposing  it,  in  part,  upon  candidates  for  elder's  orders, 
men  who  were  already  members  of  the  Conference.  The 
claim  of  these  men  for  ordination,  as  elders,  was  made 
dependent  upon  their  satisfactory  examination  in  the  pre- 
scribed studies.  Dr.  Bangs  opposed  this  requisition  as 
"  above  or  without  law."  Not  being  nominally  the 
editor  of  the  Advocate,  (though  he  had  charge  of  it,  Dr. 
Durbin  having  now  resigned  that  office,)  he  addressed 
Dr.  Emory  in  an  anonymous  communication.  He 
esteemed  this  more  respectful  to  the  episcopate  than 
would  be  a  formal  or  official  opposition  of  the  organ  of 
the  Church  against  the  bishop.  He  subsequently,  how- 
ever, communicated  his  name  to  the  latter  as  the  author 
of  the  unfavorable  article,  and  soon  after  announced  that 
fact  in  the  paper. 

Summarily  the  facts  involved  in  this  case  are  as 
follows : 

1.  Dr.  Bangs's  opposition  to  the  course  of  the  bishop 
was  not  opposition  to  ministerial  improvement,  but  to 
what  he  deemed  an  episcopal  and  unjustifiable  deviation 
from  the  law  of  the  Church.  In  fact  he  was  himself  the 
father  of  the  law  for  a  course  of  study,  as  has  been 
shown ;  he  originated  the  first  enactment  of  the  kind  in 
1816,  and  with  his  friend,  B.  M.  Drake,  had  actually  in- 
troduced in  the  last  General  Conference  the  motion  for 
the  course  which  the  bishop  was  now  misapplying,  as  he 
believed.  He  will  need  not  a  word  of  defense,  in  this 
respect,  with  any  reader  of  the  preceding  pages.  He 
expressly  declares,  in  his  remonstrance  against  the 
bishop's  measure,  his  wish  to  see  the  course  extended 
through  four  years,  if  the  law-making  power  of  the 
Church,  the  General  Conference,  should  authorize  it. 

'2.  But  (what  ought  to  have  been  conclusive  of  the 
controversy)  the  last  General  Conference  had  refused  to 
extend  the  course  to  four  years,  thereby  directly  declin- 
ing to  subject  deacons,  already  members  of  the  Annual 
( Yml'erences,  to  any  such  condition  of  ordination  to  the 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


285 


higher  office  of  elders.  The  motion  of  Dr.  Bangs  and 
his  fellow-delegate  had  proposed  a  four  years'  course; 
but  it  was  laid  on  the  table.  The  attempt  of  Bishop 
Emory  to  do,  with  the  sanction  of  an  Annual  Conference, 
what  the  preceding  General  Conference  had  expressly 
declined  to  allow,  seemed,  indeed,  to  Dr.  Bangs  an  ex- 
traordinary and  inadmissible  stretch  of  episcopal  power. 

3.  There  was  precedent,  and  even  episcopal  precedent, 
against  the  course  of  the  bishop.  A  committee  of  the 
New  York  Conference  had,  years  before,  prepared  and 
published  a  four  years'  course  of  study  for  its  own  preach- 
ers ;  but  when  it  "  was  presented  to  the  bishops  for  their 
sanction  they  refused  to  sanction  the  third  and  fourth 
years,  for  leant  of  authority,  and  in  this  decision  the 
committee  fully  concurred,  and  accordingly  this  part  of 
the  course"  was  never  used. 

4.  The  question  of  Conference  authority,  or  "  Confer- 
ence rights,"  became  complicated  with  the  dispute.  "As 
the  whole  broad  power  of  judgment,  as  to  fitness  or 
qualification  for  the  elder's  office,  and  also  of  election  to 
it,  had  been  vested  in  the  Annual  Conferences,"  the  biog- 
rapher of  Hedding  supposes  "  the  prescribing  of  such  a 
course  of  study  to  be  clearly  within  the  legitimate  func- 
tions of  an  Annual  Conference."  The  "  whole  broad 
power  of  judgment"  is  here  a  very  broad  phrase.  The 
Annual  Conferences  have,  indeed,  the  power  of  judging 
of  the  qualifications  of  their  candidates,  but  only  of 
judging  according  to  a  prescribed  standard,  and  have  no 
power  to  subtract  from  or  add  to  that  standard.  The 
Annual  Conferences  arc  executive  and  judicial  bodies; 
the  legislative  power  of  the  Church  is  exclusively  in  the 
General  Conference,  and  the  General  Conference  had 
prescribed  the  qualifications  of  candidates  for  eldership, 
and  had  declined  to  include  the  one  in  question  between 
Drs.  Emory  and  Bangs.  An  Annual  Conference  has  no 
more  authority  to  prescribe  a  new  term  of  ordination  than 
to  prescribe  a  new  term  of  Church  membership.  The 


286 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  a  unit, 
though  for  territorial  convenience  distributed  into  several 
Conferences.  But  if  an  Annual  Conference  can  enact  a 
term  of  ordination  or  of  Conference  membership,  a  term 
which  has  not  been  enacted  by  the  General  Conference, 
what  becomes  of  our  ministerial  unity  or  identity? 
What  of  the  episcopal  right  of  transferring  men  from 
one  Conference  to  another,  especially  in  the  case  of  can- 
didates ?  A  candidate  who  might  be  proscribed  in  one 
Conference  might  be  admissible  in  another;  and,  what 
would  be  still  more  preposterous,  might,  immediately 
after  his  admission,  be  transferred  back  from  the  latter 
to  the  former  in  full  rights  as  an  elder.  One  Conference 
might  make  abstinence  from  tobacco  or  from  long 
beards  a  condition  of  elder's  ordination,  or  of  Conference 
membership,  while  an  adjacent  Conference  might  refuse 
to  do  so.  Were  the  above  "broad"  principle  admitted, 
hypothetically  every  Conference  might  adopt  some  pe- 
culiar term,  and  thus  every  Conference  be  isolated  from 
all  the  others.  In  fine,  Annual  Conferences  have  no  legis- 
lative authority;  they  have  power  to  do  only  what  the 
General  Conference  prescribes  for  them  to' do,  except  as 
a  matter  of  mutual  concession  or  courtesy  between  their 
members  and  the  presiding  officer,  the  representative  of 
the  General  Conference.* 

*  These  views  are  sanctioned  by  the  highest  authority  of  the  Church. 
The  bishops,  in  their  message  to  the  General  Conference  of  1840,  ex- 
plicitly avow  them.  "  Have  the  Annual  Conferences  a  constitutional 
right  to  do  any  other  business  than  what  is  specifically  prescribed,  or, 
by  fair  construction,  provided  for  in  the  form  of  Discipline?  Has  the 
president  of  an  Annual  Conference,  by  virtue  of  his  office,  a  right  to 
decline  putting  a  motion  or  resolution  to  vote,  on  business  other  than 
that  thus  prescribed  or  provided  for?  These  questions  are  proposed 
with  exclusivo  reference  to  the  principle  of  constitutional  right.  The 
principles  of  courtesy  and  expediency  are  very  different  things.  The 
General  Conference  is  the  only  legislative  body  recognized  in  our 
ecclesiastical  system,  and  from  it  originates  the  authority  of  the  entire 
executive  administration.  The  exclusive  power  to  create  Annual  Con- 
ferences, and  to  increase  or  diminish  their  number,  rests  witli  this 
body.    No  Annual  Conference  has  authority  or  right  to  make  any  rule 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


287 


MINISTERIAL  EDUCATION. 

The  General  Conference  of  1844  ordained  a  four 
years'  course  of  study,  and  thus  gave  it  unquestion- 
able authority,  completing  what  Dr.  Bangs  had,  twelve 
years  before,  proposed,  and  conferring  inestimable  ad- 
vantage on  the  Church.  Dr.  Bangs  was  the  first 
man  to  admit  into  the  official,  that  is  to  say,  the 
General  Conference  periodicals  of  the  Church,  the  prop- 
osition for  institutions  of  ministerial  education,  and 
resolutely  endured  a  storm  of  editorial  and  other  hostility 
for  this  bold  measure.  In  reply  to  the  attacks  upon  him 
he  said  :  "  What  is  the  question  so  gravely  put  forth  for 
the  consideration  of  the  Church  ?  We  answer,  so  far  as 
Ave  understand  it,  it  is  this :  '  May  not  a  voluntary  as- 

of  discipline  for  the  Church  either  within  its  own  bounds  or  elsewhere. 
No  one  has  the  power  to  elect  its  own  president,  except  in  a  special 
case,  pointed  out  and  provided  for  by  the  General  Conference.  What- 
ever may  be  the  number  of  the  Annual  Conferences,  they  are  all  organ- 
ized on  the  same  plan,  are  all  governed  by  the  same  laws,  and  all  have 
identically  the  same  rights,  powers,  and  privileges.  These  powers,  and 
rights,  and  privileges  are  not  derived  from  themselves,  but  from  the 
body  which  originated  them.  And  the  book  of  Discipline,  containing 
the  Rules  of  the  General  Conference,  is  the  only  charter  of  their  rights, 
and  directory  of  their  duties,  as  official  bodies.  The  general  superin- 
tendents are  elected  by  the  General  Conference,  and  responsible  to  it 
for  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  their  office.  The  primary  objects  of 
their  official  department  in  the  Church  were,  as  we  believe,  to  preserve, 
in  the  most  effectual  manner,  an  itinerant  ministry  ;  to  maintain  a  uni- 
formity in  the  administration  of  the  government  and  discipline  in  every 
department,  and  that  the  unity  of  the  whole  body  might  be  preserved. 
But  how,  we  would  ask,  can  these  important  ends  be  accomplished  if 
each  Annual  Conference  possesses  the  rights  and  powers  set  forth  in 
the  foregoing  summary  ?  [Claims  of  legislative  authority  made  by  cer- 
tain Conferences.]  Is  it  not  greatly  to  be  feared  that,  with  such  a  sys- 
tem of  ecclesiastical  jurisprudence,  what  might  be  law  in  Georgia  might 
be  no  law  in  New  England?  that  what  might  be  orthodoxy  in  one  Con- 
ference might  be  heresy  in  another?  Where,  then,  would  be  the  iden- 
tity of  the  law,  the  uniformity  of  its  administration,  or  the  unity  and 
peace  of  the  Church?"  The  General  Conference  of  1840  decided  that 
the  president  of  an  Annual  or  Quarterly  Meeting  Conference  had  a  right 
to  decline  putting  a  motion  or  resolution  to  vote,  if  he  considered  it 
foreign  to  the  proper  business  of  a  Conference,  or  inconsistent  with 
constitutional  provisions. 


288 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


sociation  be  formed  of  men  friendly  to  the  object  which 
may  provide  means  for  the  education  of  such  young  men 
as  give  evidence  of  a  call  from  God  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel, and  who  have  been  approved,  according  to  our 
usages,  as  local  preachers,  who  choose  and  desire  to  ob- 
tain a  more  thorough  education  before  they  enter  upon 
the  enlarged  field  of  itinerancy  ?'  This  is  the  question. 
And  shall  we  be  afraid  to  meet  it  fairly  and  fully  ?  Let 
it  be  remembered  that  it  is  not  to  be  met  by  sarcasm, 
put  to  silence  by  ridicule,  nor  its  meaning  perverted  by 
misrepresentation.  Some  seem  to  look  at  this  question 
as  though  our  Church  had  just  now  for  the  first  time 
awaked  up  to  this  subject,  as  though  wrc  had  all  our  days 
been  averse  to  an  educated  ministry.  But  is  this  so? 
We  think  not.  The  history  of  Methodism  will  show 
that,  although  a  classical  education  or  a  systematical 
theological  training  has  not  been  considered  essential  to 
a  Gosj)el  minister,  yet  that  sound  knowledge,  various 
reading,  and  particularly  a  thorough  acquaintance  with 
biblical  truth,  were  always  considered  essential  pre- 
requisites to  usefulness  and  continuance  in  the  ministry. 
We  consider  it,  therefore,  a  settled  point,  an  established 
policy  in  Methodism,  that  its  ministers  should  be  well 
educated,  that  they  should  thoroughly  understand  the 
science  which  they  profess  to  teach,  and  the  language  in 
which  they  communicate  their  thoughts  to  others.  The 
only  question  then  is,  What  is  the  best  method  to  obtain 
this  knowledge?  And  we  think  it  will  be  admitted  on 
all  hands  that  the  method  which  will  lead  to  the  attain- 
ment of  the  object  with  the  greatest  facility,  with  the 
least  expense  of  time  and  labor,  should  be  adopted.  On 
this  we  may  offer  some  thoughts  hereafter.  We  con- 
clude what  we  have  to  say  at  present  by  remarking  that 
if  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  suffered  ministers 
to  graduate  to  office  without  acquiring  knowledge,  and 
without  contracting  a  taste  for  it,  she  has  so  far  departed 
from  primitive  Methodism.    Mr.  Wesley  not  only  en- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


289 


couraged  learning  among  his  sons  in  the  Gospel,  but  in- 
sisted, as  an  indispensable  condition  of  their  continuance 
in  the  ministry,  that  they  should  contract  such  a  taste  for 
it  as  to  love  it,  to  spend  at  least  five  hours  of  the  twenty- 
four  not  in  mere  desultory  reading,  but  in  close  applica- 
tion to  study.  And  hence  arose  from  his  '  school  of  the 
prophets,'  from  his  severe  literary  discipline,  some  of  the 
brightest  ornaments  of  literature,  and  some  of  the  sound- 
est divines,  the  ablest  linguists  and  biblical  critics.  As 
a  confirmation  of  the  truth  of  this  remark  we  might 
name  Walsh,  Morgan,  Oliver,  Benson,  Clarke,  Watson, 
and  others  both  among  the  dead  and  living,  '  whose 
praise  is  in  all  the  Churches.'  Had  Wesley  thrown  cold 
wafer  upon  the  early  sparks  of  their  literary  ardor,  or 
suffered  their  brethren  to  throw  discouragements  in  their 
way  by  sarcasm  and  contemptuous  ridicule,  is  it  to  be 
supposed  that  they  would  have  ever  risen  to  that  literary 
eminence  by  which  they  became  so  justly  distinguished? 
Well,  we  have  seen  that  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
has  held  the  same  language  to  all  her  ministers.  If, 
therefore,  any  of  them  have  passed  along  in  inglorious 
ignorance,  it  has  not  been  because  the  Church  has  not 
appreciated  the  value  and  importance  of  sound  theological 
knowledge,  but  because  she  has  neglected  to  enforce  her 
own  rules,  either  from  the  force  of  circumstances  she 
could  not  control,  or  from  inattention  to  her  own  most 
solemn  engagements.  Perhaps  an  apology  may  be  Of- 
fered for  the  little  progress  we  have  hitherto  made  in 
general  literature,  from  the  extensiveness  of  our  itinerant 
labors,  in  a  country  comparatively  new,  and  the  general 
poverty  of  our  people;  but  as  these  impediments  are  re- 
moved and  removing  out  of  the  way,  we  hope  that 
means  will  be  applied  to  surmount  the  difficulties  which 
have  lain  in  the  way  of  our  improvement,  and  that  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  shall  'not  be  a  whit  behind 
the  very  chiefest'  of  the  Churches  in  Christendom  in  the 
literary  and  theological  eminence  of  her  ministers." 
19 


290 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER  XX. 

PROSPERITY  OF  NEW  YORK  CONFERENCE. 

Such  had  been  the  prosperity  of  the  Church  that, 
though  his  own  Conference  had  been  territorially  reduced 
by  successive  offsets — the  Canadas  on  the  north,  and  the 
great  Genesee  Conference  on  the  west — it  was  again 
necessary  to  divide  it  at  its  session  following  the  General 
Conference  of  1832.*  It  now  reported  more  than  forty- 
seven  thousand  members ;  their  increase  in  the  last  year 
had  been  nearly  one  sixth  of  the  whole  number.  It  was 
the  largest  Conference  in  the  Church,  except  that  of 
Philadelphia.  When  Dr.  Bangs  was  admitted  as  one  of  its 
candidates,  in  1 802,  the  membership  of  the  denomination 
throughout  the  United  States  and  the  Canadas  did  not 
amount  to  twice  the  present  membership  of  this  single 
Conference.  On  his  first  attendance  at  its  session,  in 
1804,  its  communicants  numbered  not  a  fourth  of  their 
present  force,  though  the  Canadas  and  Genesee  were  not 
set  off  till  years  later.  The  number  of  Methodists  in 
what  was  the  territory  of  the  Conference  at  the  date  of 
his  ordination  had  increased  from  11,700  to  more  than 
110,000;  its  ministry  from  59  to  nearly  500;  and  yet  he 
was  in  the  vigor  of  his  life,  not  fifty-five  years  old,  ap- 
parently not  forty-five.  Identified  with  all  the  great  af- 
fairs of  Methodism,  he  felt,  perhaps  more  than  any 
other  man,  the  inspiration  and  invigoration  of  its  unparal- 
leled success.  He  had  seen  its  numerical  force  increase 
from  72,874  members  and  307  preachers  (including  the 
Canadas)  in  1801,  to  548,593  members  and  2,200  preach- 
ers (exclusive  of  the  Canadas)  in  1832.  It  had  gained 
375,719  communicants  and   1,893  itinerant  preachers 

*  The  Genesee  Conference  had  itself  already  been  divided,  otherwise 
it  wculd  have  been  at  this  time  the  largest  Conference  in  the  nation. 


NATHAX  BANGS,  D.D. 


291 


since  he  joined  its  humble  but  victorious  ranks  in  the 
wilds  of  Canada.  Its  membership  was  more  than  quin- 
tupled, and  its  ministry  more  than  sextupled  in  this 
period.  He  had  seen  its  revivals  extend  over  all  the 
states  and  settled  territories  of  the  republic  like  fire  on 
the  western  prairies.  It  possessed  now  not  only  the 
principal  publishing  house  of  the  religious  world,  and 
numerous  literary  periodicals,  colleges,  and  seminaries, 
but  its  original  chapels  were  almost  universally  renewed. 
It  had  dotted  the  country  with  its  new  churches  and 
parsonages,  and  was  at  this  moment  projecting  those 
schemes  of  foreign  evangelization  which  were  to  ex- 
tend its  salutary  power  before  his  death  to  the  remotest 
parts  of  the  earth.  Had  he  died  now,  it  would  have 
been  amid  the  general  triumph  of  his  cause ;  and  well 
might  he  have  expired  with  the  grateful  exclamation  of 
the  Hebrew  saint :  "  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant 
depart  in  peace,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation !" 
But  he  was  to  witness  its  struggles  and  triumphs  through 
thirty  years  more,  a  generation,  and  to  be  recognized  as 
one  of  its  chief  standard-bearers  through  the  contests 
and  victories  of  nearly  all  this  remaining  period. 

GREAT  SUCCESS. 

Strong  in  body,  in  intellect,  and  in  faith,  and  stimu- 
lated by  the  sense  of  this  general  success,  he  not  only 
pursued  with  unabated  vigor  his  onerous  official  duties, 
but  continually  appeared  in  the  pulpit  a  powerful 
preacher.  Remarkable  religious  interest  prevailed  about 
this  time  in  many  parts  of  the  Church  ;  it  pervaded 
the  societies  in  Xew  York  city,  and  he  shared  effect- 
ively in  its  promotion.  He  says:  "The  work  in  gen- 
eral throughout  the  bounds  of  the  several  Annual  Con- 
ferences, both  on  the  older  circuits  and  stations  and  on 
the  missions,  was  in  a  prosperous  state,  and  the  spirit  of 
revival,  and  of  liberality  in  support  of  our  various  insti- 
tutions, was  evidently  rising  and  prevailing  more  and 


292 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


more.  For  the  last  two  years,  through  the  instrument- 
ality of  protracted  meetings,  there  had  been  a  powerful 
revival  in  the  city  of  New  York.  This  work  commenced 
in  the  Allen-street  Church,  and  spread  more  or  less  in  the 
different  congregations  in  the  city  ;  but  its  most  power- 
ful effects  were  felt  and  seen  in  the  church  in  Allen- 
street,  where  the  meetings  were  continued  for  upward  of 
forty  days,  and  in  the  evenings  for  nearly  three  months ; 
so  that  the  'revival  in  Allen-street'  became  notorious 
all  over  the  country,  and  the  increase  during  the  two 
past  years  was  not  less  than  one  thousand  four  hundred. 
This  extension  of  the  work  created  the  necessity  of  hav- 
ing an  additional  number  of  churches,  which  eventuated, 
in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  in  the  erection  of  seven, 
making  in  the  whole  twelve,  (in  two  of  which  the  slips 
were  rented,)  and  three  of  the  old  ones  were  rebuilt. 
Our  preachers  and  people  more  generally  began  to  feel 
the  necessity  of  building  larger  and  more  commodious 
houses  of  worship,  and  of  providing  parsonages  for  the 
married  preachers,  as  well  as  of  contributing  more  liber- 
ally for  the  support  of  our  infant  colleges,  missions,  and 
Sunday-schools.  Indeed,  such  had  been  the  hallowed 
and  happy  influence  of  these  institutions  thus  far,  that 
opposition  to  them  was  mainly  disarmed  of  its  power, 
and  success  spoke  loudly  in  their  behalf."  In  1833,  also, 
"the  work  of  God  was  generally  very  prosperous.  The 
agitations  which  resulted  from  the  radical  controversy 
had  generally  ceased,  our  institutions  had  been  success- 
fully defended  against  their  rude  assailants,  and  hence  all 
went  forward  with  alacrity  and  delight  in  the  discharge 
of  their  respective  duties.  In  addition  to  the  ordinary 
means  used  for  the  promotion  of  the  cause  of  Christ,  the 
'protracted  meetings'  contributed  much,  for  they  were 
now  very  generally  adopted  throughout  our  bounds  ; 
and  the  circuits  and  stations,  particularly  in  the  older 
parts  of  our  work,  were  brought  into  more  compact 
order,  so  that  pastoral  duties  could  be  more  conveniently 


NATHAN-  BANGS,  D.D. 


293 


performed.  But  that  which  contributed  still  more  to 
enlarge  our  borders,  more  especially  in  places  before  un- 
occupied by  our  ministry,  and  in  the  frontier  settlements, 
was  the  energetic  action  of  the  Missionary  Society."  In 
1834,  he  writes,  "the  enlargement  of  our  borders  on 
every  hand,  and  the  increase  of  membership  in  the  older 
circuits  and  stations,  generally  created  an  ability  in  our 
brethren  and  friends  to  supply  the  means  to  furnish  ac- 
commodations for  the  people  and  their  preachers;  and 
the  necessity  for  these  things,  together  with  the  urgent 
calls  from  the  pulpit  and  the  press,  particularly  in  the 
columns  of  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  excited 
them  to  activity  in  the  discharge  of  these  duties.  Hence, 
churches  more  commodious  and  central  than  heretofore 
were  erected  and  erecting,  parsonage  houses  built  or  re- 
built, and  partially  furnished,  by  which  means  the  diffi- 
culties and  expenses  of  removing  were  very  much  less- 
ened, and  the  congregations  became  more  numerous  and 
permanent.  It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  our  increase 
this  year  and  last  was  unusually  large,  and  the  mission- 
ary work  went  on  most  delightfully  and  prosperously, 
the  whole  being  aided  by  protracted  meetings,  mission- 
ary anniversaries,  and  prayer-meetings.  These  things, 
also,  by  diminishing  the  inducement  to  desist  from 
traveling,  lessened  the  number  of  locations."  "It  was 
evident,  also,"  he  adds,  "  that  our  ministry  was  improv- 
ing in  learning  and  general  knowledge,  and  consequently 
in  usefulness  and  respectability;  while  the  continuance  of 
revivals  was  a  sure  indication  that  they  were  not  retro- 
grading in  piety  and  zeal." 

FOREIGN  MISSIONS  BEGUN. 

Practically,  if  not  officially,  the  principal  agent  of  the 
missionary  cause  of  the  Church,  he  was  especially  zeal- 
ous in  its  incipient  foreign  plans.  At  the  last  General 
Conference,  as  we  have  seen,  it  was  proposed  to  extend 
the  operations  of  the  Society  to  other  lands — to  send 


294 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


preachers  to  Africa,  and  a  commission  of  inquiry  to  South 
America.  Hitherto  it  had  no  foreign  missions  proper, 
though  its  stations  among  the  American  aborigines  were 
classed  as  such.  These  Indian  Missions  had  now  become 
numerous,  and  some  of  them  were  remarkably  prosper- 
ous ;  "  attended,"  he  says,  "  with  unparalleled  success." 
In  Upper  Canada  they  numbered  in  1831  no  less  than 
ten  stations  and  nearly  two  thousand  Indians  "  under 
religious  instruction,  most  of  whom  were  members  of 
the  Church.  Among  the  Cherokees,  in  Georgia,  we  had 
at  the  same  date  no  less  than  seventeen  missionary 
laborers,  and  nearly  a  thousand  Church-members.  Among 
the  Choctaws  we  had  about  four  thousand  communicants, 
embracing  all  the  principal  men  of  the  nation,  their 
chiefs  and  captains."  And  more  or  less,  along  the  whole 
frontier,  Indian  Missions  were  established.  Meanwhile 
the  destitute  fields  of  the  domestic  work  proper  were 
dotted  with  humble  but  effective  mission  stations,  from 
the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  these  sta- 
tions were  rapidly  passing  from  the  missionary  list  to 
the  Conference  catalogue  of  Appointments  as  self-sup- 
porting Churches. 

In  1832  Melville  1'..  Cox  sailed  for  Africa,  the  first 
foreign  missionary  of  American  Methodism.  He  organ- 
ized the  Liberia  Mission.  He  fell  a  martyr  to  the  cli- 
mate, but  laid  on  that  benighted  continent  the  founda- 
tions of  the  Church,  never,  it  may  be  hoped,  to  be 
shaken.  The  next  year  a  delegation  from  the  distant 
Flathead  Indians  of  Oregon  arrived  in  the  states  solicit- 
ing missionaries.  Their  appeal  was  zealously  urged 
through  the  Christian  Advocate,  and  received  an  enthu- 
siastic response  from  the  Church.  Dr.  Bangs,  who  had 
been  a  leading  promoter  of  the  African  Mission,  now,  in 
co-operation  with  Dr.  Wilbur  Fisk,  advocated  this  new 
claim  with  his  utmost  ability.  Jason  and  Daniel  Lee 
and  Cyrus  Shepard  were  dispatched  as  missionaries  in 
t lie  spring  of  1834.    An  extraordinary  scheme  of  labors 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


295 


was  adopted,  involving  great  expense ;  but,  writes  Dr. 
Bangs,  "  the  projection  of  this  important  mission  had  a 
most  happy  effect  upon  the  missionary  cause  generally. 
As  the  entire  funds  of  the  Society  up  to  this  time  had 
not  exceeded  eighteen  thousand  dollars  a  year,  and  as 
this  mission  must  necessarily  cost  considerable,  with  a 
view  to  augment  the  pecuniary  resources  of  the  Society, 
a  loud  and  urgent  call  was  made,  through  the  columns 
of  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  on  the  friends 
of  missions  to  '  come  up  to  the  help  of  the  Lord '  in 
this  emergency ;  and  to  assist  in  this  benevolent  work, 
the  Messrs.  Lee  were  instructed,  while  remaining  in  the 
civilized  world,  to  travel  as  extensively  as  possible,  hold 
missionary  meetings,  and  take  up  collections.  The  'Flat- 
head' Mission,  as  it  was  then  called,  seemed  to  possess 
a  charm,  around  which  clustered  the  warm  affections  of 
all  the  friends  of  the  missionary  enterprise,  and  special 
donations  for  the  'Flatheads'  were  sent  to  the  treas- 
ury with  cheering  liberality  and  avidity.  As  an  evidence 
of  the  beneficial  result  of  these  movements,  the  amount 
of  available  funds  had  risen,  in  1834,  from  $17,097  05, 
the  sum  raised  in  1833,  to  $35,700  15.  So  true  is  it  that 
those  who  aim  at  great  things,  if  they  do  not  fully  real- 
ize their  hopes,  will  yet  accomplish  much." 

The  surges  of  emigration  have  overwhelmed  nearly  all 
that  grand  transmontane  region  ;  the  aborigines  are  sink- 
ing out  of  sight  beneath  them ;  but  the  Oregon  Mission, 
after  some  useful  labors  among  the  Indians,  became  the 
nucleus  of  the  Christianity  and  civilization  of  the  new 
and  mighty  state  which  has  since  arisen  on  the  Xorth 
Pacific  coast. 

Meanwhile  Fountain  C.  Pitts  was  s'ent  on  the  mission 
of  inquiry  to  South  America.  In  the  autumn  of  1835 
he  visited  Rio  Janeiro,  Buenos  Ayres,  Monte  Video,  and 
other  places,  and  the  Methodist  South  American  Mission 
was  founded  the  next  year  by  Justin  Spaulding.  Thus 
had  the  Church  borne  at  last  its  victorious  banner  into 


296 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


the  field  of  foreign  missions.  It  was  to  be  tried  severely 
in  these  new  contests,  but  to  march  on  through  triumphs 
and  defeats  till  it  should  take  foremost  rank  among  de- 
nominations devoted  to  foreign  evangelization. 

INVIGOKATION  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

No  man  felt,  no  man  had  a  right  to  feel  greater  gratifica- 
tion in  these  important  advancements  than  Dr.  Bangs. 
He  had  been  identified  not  only  with  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety from  its  beginning,  but  particularly  with  these  new 
measures  ;  they  kindled  higher  than  ever  the  ardor  of  his 
earlier  manhood.  He  had  seen  the  Church,  in  whose  his- 
tory for  nearly  half  a  century  his  own  personal  history  had 
been  so  entirely  merged,  extend  from  Canada  to  Mexico, 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific ;  he  now  saw  it,  as  he  be- 
lieved, begin  its  march  around  the  world.  In  1 835  he  wrote : 
"The  usual  peace  and  harmony  prevailing  in  our  ranks 
lor  the  five  years  past,  and  the  zeal  exemplified  by  minis- 
ters and  people  for  the  promotion  of  the  cause  of  God 
by  the  ordinary  means  of  the  Gospel,  as  well  as  by  insti- 
tutions of  learning,  Sabbath-schools,  and  the  distribution 
of  Bibles  and  tracts,  the  building  of  churches  and  par- 
sonages, seemed  to  awaken  new  energies,  and  to  call 
forth  the  resources  of  the  Church  in  a  much  more  liberal 
manner  than  heretofore  for  the  extension  of  the  work  on 
every  hand,  but  more  particularly  by  means  of  mission- 
ary labors.  "We  did  not  know,  indeed,  how  much  could 
be  done  until  the  trial  was  made.  And  the  several  insti- 
tutions alluded  to,  instead  of  weakening  one  another, 
acted  reciprocally  upon  each  other;  the  one  tending  to 
excite  the  other  to  more  vigorous  action,  and  all 
uniting  to  produce  the  most  salutary  and  happy  results. 
This  was  seen  in  every  department  of  our  extended  work, 
and  the  truth  of  the  inspired  declaration  was  exemplified 
by  every  day's  experience:  'He  that  deviseth  liberal 
1  kings,  by  liberal  things  shall  he  stand;'  and  'he  that 
watereth  shall  be  watered  again.'     In  the  same  propor- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


297 


tion  that  we  enlarged  the  sphere  of  our  operations  for 
the  conversion  of  the  world  did  the  means  accumulate 
for  carrying  on  our  work ;  and  by  inducing  all  to  con- 
tribute something,  none  were  oppressed,  while  each  one 
felt  that  he  had  an  interest  in  the  general  cause  he  was 
aiding  to  support.  By  means  of  these  appliances  the 
fields  of  missionary  labor  especially,  both  in  new  countries 
and  hitherto  unoccupied  places  in  the  older  settlements, 
were  constantly  supplied  with  Gospel  ordinances,  the 
vigorous  action  of  the  heart  of  the  Church  sending  out 
through  these  main  arteries  the  life-blood  to  every  limb 
and  member  of  the  spiritual  body,  and  they  in  return, 
by  a  lively  exercise  of  their  functions,  sending  it  back 
to  the  center,  thus  keeping  up  that  constant  circulation 
which  is  essential  to  the  health  and  growth  of  the  entire 
system." 

DEATHS  OF  M'KENDREE  AND  EMORY. 

As  the  close  of  his  present  quadrennial  term  of  office 
drew  near  he  shared  deeply  with  the  whole  Church  in 
the  mournful  loss  of  two  of  its  ablest  bishops,  M'Ken- 
dree  and  Emory,  who  both  died  in  1835.  He  has  left 
us  reminiscences  of  these  great  and  good  men,  as  of  so 
many  others — utterances  from  his  warm  heart.  Of  M'Ken- 
dree  he  says  :  "  From  the  time  of  his  entrance  upon  the 
arduous  duties  of  his  office  until  his  death  he  labored 
most  assiduously  to  fulfill  his  high  trust  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  preserve  the  unity,  the  purity,  and  integrity  of  the 
Church,  and  thereby  to  promote  the  cause  of  God  among 
his  fellow-men.  In  some  of  the  first  years  of  his  labors 
as  an  itinerating  superintendent  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  he  was  in  the  habit  of  traveling  from  one 
end  of  the  continent  to  the  other  on  horseback,  fre- 
quently exposed  to  the  hardships  and  privations  incident 
to  the  new  countries,  and  to  the  fatigues  of  preaching 
every  day,  besides  giving  attention  to  the  numerous  calls 
arising  out  of  his  official  relation  to  the  Church.  To 


298 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


those  unacquainted  with  the  peculiar  work  of  an  itinerat- 
ing superintendent  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
it  .might  seem  strange  that  a  man  enfeebled  by  disease, 
oppressed  by  an  accumulation  of  cares  and  labors,  should 
nevertheless  constantly  move  about  from  one  part  of  the 
continent  to  another,  cross  and  recross  the  Alleghany 
Mountains,  descend  the  valleys  of  the  western  rivers, 
preach  to  a  few  hearers  in  log-cabins,  to  thousands  under 
the  foliage  of  the  trees  at  camp-meetings,  and  then  visit 
the  populous  cities  and  villages,  and  make  the  pulpits 
sound  with  the  voice  of  mercy  and  glad  tidings !  Yet 
such  was  the  mode  of  life  of  Bishop  M'Kendree.  Habit 
had,  indeed,  rendered  it  necessary  to  his  life  and  comfort, 
so  much  so  that  the  very  thought  of  being  confined  to 
one  place  was  painful;  and  whenever  such  an  event 
seemed  inevitable,  you  might  see  the  strugglings  of  a 
soul  anxious  to  avert  what  he  considered  a  calamity. 
Down  to  the  General  Conference  of  1832  he  continued 
his  itinerant  tours,  often  in  the  midst  of  such  debility 
that  he  had  to  be  assisted  in  and  out  of  his  carriage  by 
his  faithful  traveling  companion,  through  various  parts 
of  the  continent,  mostly  in  the  South  and  West,  enlivening 
the  hearts  of  his  friends  by  his  cheerful  submission  to 
the  Divine  will  amid  the  pains  and  afflictions  of  life, 
and  receiving  every  favor  shown  him  with  the  smile  of 
gratitude  and  the  embrace  of  paternal  affection.  At 
this  Conference  he  seemed  to  be  tottering  under  the  in- 
firmities of  age,  and  withering  under  the  corroding 
influence  of  protracted  disease;  while  his  soul  exerted  its 
wonted  energies  in  devising  or  approving  of  plans  for 
the  prosperity  of  the  Church.  Like  a  patriarch  in  the 
midst  of  his  family,  with  his  head  silvered  over  by  the 
frosts  of  seventy-five  winters,  and  a  countenance  beam- 
ing with  intelligence  and  good-will,  he  delivered  his  val- 
edictory remarks,  which  are  remembered  with  lively 
emotions.  Rising  from  his  seat  to  take  his  departure 
from  the  Conference  the  day  before  it  adjourned,  he 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


299 


hailed  for  a  moment,  leaning  upon  bis  staff";  with  fal- 
tering lips,  and  eyes  swimming  in  tears,  he  said,  'My 
brethren  and  children,  love  one  another.  Let  all  things 
be  done  without  strife  or  vainglory,  and  strive  to  keep 
the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bonds  of  peace.'  He  then 
spread  forth  his  trembling  hands,  and  lifting  his  eyes  to- 
Avard  heaven,  pronounced,  with  faltering  and  affectionate 
accents,  the  apostolic  benediction. 

"  He  had  an  understanding  sufficiently  strong  and 
acute  to  enable  him  to  grapple  with  any  subject  within 
the  range  of  the  human  intellect,  and  equal  to  the  ac- 
quirement of  any  branch  of  human  knowledge.  This 
was  evident  to  all  who  were  intimate  with  him  and 
could  duly  appreciate  his  worth.  His  mind,  indeed,  was 
capable  of  the  nicest  distinctions,  of  the  most  critical 
researches,  and  of  the  widest  expansion.  How  often 
did  he,  by  a  well-timed  and  pointed  remark,  unravel  the 
sophistry  of  the  sciolist,  and  confound  the  pedantic  pre- 
tender to  wisdom  and  science!  As  if  by  a  sudden  in- 
spiration of  thought,  he  would  make  a  ray  of  light  flash 
upon  a  subject,  and  thereby  render  that  clear  and  intelli- 
gible which  before  was  obscure  and  perplexed.  There 
was  great  variety  in  the  character  of  his  sermons. 
Though  he  seldom  failed  to  '  make  out  what  he  took  in 
hand,'  yet  he  sometimes  sunk  rather  below  mediocrity; 
while  at  other  times  he  soared  and  expanded,  and  aston- 
ished you  with  irradiations  of  light,  and  with  the  power 
and  eloquence  with  which  he  delivered  the  tremendous 
truths  of  God." 

With  Emory  Dr.  Bangs  had  maintained  intimate  rela- 
tions in  the  Book  Concern  during  eight  years.  "Early," 
lie  writes,  "on  the  morning  of  Wednesday,  December 
1G,  1835,  he  left  home  in  a  one-horse  carriage,  for  the 
purpose  of  visiting  Baltimore  on  business  connected 
with  his  episcopal  office.  His  horse  ran  away  with  him 
and  he  was  violently  thrown  from  the  carriage,  and  re- 
ceived such  a  severe  wound  in  the  head  that  he  expired 


300 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


about  seven  o'clock  of  the  same  day.  His  death  was 
the  more  melancholy  to  his  friends  because  his  fall  and 
the  wound  he  received  deprived  him  of  his  senses,  so 
that  he  Avas  unable  to  converse  with  those  who  stood 
around  his  dying  bed,  though  he  was  heard  to  respond 
an  amen  to  one  of  the  many  prayers  which  were  offered 
up  in  his  behalf  in  this  hour  of  trial  and  affliction.  No 
one  doubted,  however,  of  his  preparedness  to  meet  his 
fate  and  to  enter  into  the  joy  of  his  Lord.  He  died  in 
the  forty-eighth  year  of  his  age.  He  possessed  an  acute 
and  discriminating  mind,  a  sound  and  comprehensive 
judgment.  Having  received  a  thorough  education  in 
his  youth,  and  devoting  some  time  of  his  more  mature 
and  vigorous  days  to  the  study  of  the  law,  his  under- 
standing had  become  accustomed  to  close  thought  and 
accurate  research,  and  he  could,  therefore,  quickly  and 
easily  distinguish  between  truth  and  error,  between 
right  and  wrong,  while  his  heart  forsook  the  one  and 
(•leaved  to  the  other.  He  always  evinced  a  mind  thor- 
oughly imbued  with  his  subject,  familiar  with  the  truth, 
and  well  trained  to  the  exercise  of  its  powers  in  weigh- 
ing evidence  and  balancing  the  claims  of  the  various  sub- 
jects which  might  be  presented  for  consideration.  And 
the  acuteness  of  his  intellectual  powers  was  in  no  in- 
stances more  strikingly  illustrated  than  in  his  capacity  to 
distinguish  -the  nicest  shades  of  truth,  to  detect  th* 
smallest  intrusions  of  error,  and  so  to  analyze  a  subject 
as  to  view  it  in  all  its  parts,  and  then  so  to  combine  it  as 
to  grasp  it  in  his  mind  as  one  undivided  whole.  He 
could  with  all  the  ease  imaginable  fix  upon  an  antagonist 
the  very  point  in  which  he  erred,  trace  it  in  all  its  wind 
ings  and  shiftings,  and  then  bring  the  whole  w7eight  ol 
his  powerful  intellect  to  bear  upon  him,  with  a  force, 
collected  by  a  regular  course  of  argument,  which  he 
could  not  well  resist.  Though  he  was  extremely  sensi- 
tive, and  could  quickly  perceive  the  slightest  aberrations 
from  the  rules  of  strict  propriety,  he  knew  equally  well 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


301 


how  to  make  due  allowance  for  human  frailties,  and  to 
apologize  for  those  faults  in  others  which  seemed  the  un- 
avoidable result  of  either  ignorance  or  inattention.  Nor 
could  he  retain  a  spirit  of  resentment  toward  any  man 
after  discovering  the  slightest  emotion  of  repentance  ; 
and  he  was  as  ready  to  make  atonement  for  an  offense  as 
he  was  to  accept  it." 

BURNING  OF  THE  BOOK  CONCERN. 

About  three  months  before  the  end  of  his  present 
term  of  service  in  the  Book  Concern — a  period  with 
which  his  long  official  connection  with  that  institution 
was  finally  to  close — a  great  calamity  fell  upon  it,  and 
in  a  few  hours  laid  it  in  ashes.  "  It  was,"  he  says,  "  on 
a  very  cold  night  in  the  month  of  February,  ]  83G,  but  a 
short  time  after  the  great  fire  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
which  destroyed  about  twenty  million  dollars'  worth  of 
property.  I  was  awakened  about  four  o'clock  A.  M. 
by  a  ringing  at  my  door,  and  a  voice  which  apprised  me 
that  the  Book  Room  was  on  fire!  I  sprung  from  my 
bed,  dressed,  called  my  two  sons,  and  repaired  with  all 
possible  speed  to  the  scene  of  conflagration.  I  hoped, 
at  least,  to  save  the  library.  But  the  smoke  was  already 
issuing  from  the  windows  of  my  office,  and  the  flames 
from  other  parts  of  the  house  !  Here  I  found  the  agents, 
who  were  on  the  spot  before  me.  The  hydrants  were 
frozen,  and  the  waters  were  thrown  but  feebly,  though 
all  exerted  themselves  to  their  utmost.  We  saw  that 
all  was  gone.  Suddenly,  and  with  a  tremendous  crash, 
the  roof  fell  in  !  The  flames  seemed  to  ascend  in  curling 
eddies  to  the  heavens,  carrying  with  them  fragments  of 
books  and  papers,  which  the  winds  swept  over  the  city 
to  the  eastward,  as  if  to  carry  the  news  of  the  sad  dis- 
aster to  our  distant  friends.  Indeed,  a  leaf  of  a  Bible 
was  found  about  three  miles  from  the  place,  on  which 
the  following  verse  was  but  just  legible:  'Our  holy  and 
our  beautiful  house,  where  our  fathers  praised  thee,  is 


302 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


burned  up  with  fire  ;  and  all  our  pleasant  things  are  laid 
Avaste,'  Isa.  lxiv,  11.  Our  'beautiful  house,'  and  all  our 
'  pleasant  things,'  our  books,  and  printing,  and  binding 
apparatus,  were,  indeed,  1  burned  up  with  tire  !'  But  the 
fire-proof  vault  had,  by  the  skillful  management  of  the 
firemen,  preserved  the  account  books,  and  most  of  the 
registry  books  for  subscribers  were  saved  by  the  timely 
exertions  of  the  clerk  of  that  department.  The  rest 
was  gone,  except  about  three  hundred  dollars'  worth  of 
books,  and  some  of  the  iron  work,  stone,  and  brick  about 
the  building.  '  How  did  this  fire  originate  ?'  This 
question  has  been  asked  a  thousand  times,  but  never  sat- 
isfactorily answered,  although  an  inquiry  was  imme- 
diately instituted,  and  diligent  search  made,  with  a  view 
to  ascertain  the  fact.  It  still  lies  buried  in  obscurity ; 
but  my  own  opinion  is,  that  it  took  fire  by  accident  in 
the  interior  of  the  building,  in  the  second  story,  where 
the  fire  was  first  discovered  by  the  man  who  came  to 
open  the  office  and  make  the  fires  for  the  day.  The  rea- 
sons for  this  opinion,  though  satisfactory  to  myself,  I 
cannot  here  detail ;  and  as  they  do  not  involve  any  one 
connected  with  the  establishment  in  blame,  while  it  re- 
lieves us  from  entertaining  the  cruel  suspicion  that  any 
one  was  wicked  enough  to  set  fire  to  the  premises,  it 
may  pass  for  what  it  is  worth,  without  injury  to  any 
individual  concerned.  In  the  deep  affliction  felt  by  the 
agents,  and  indeed  all  in  any  way  connected  with  the 
establishment,  it  was  no  small  consolation  to  be  assured 
of  the  sincere  and  wide-spread  sympathy  which  was 
both  felt  and  expressed  by  our  brethren  and  friends  for 
us  on  account  of  this  heavy  loss.  At  a  public  meeting 
held  a  few  days  after  in  the  city  of  New  York,  about 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  were  subscribed  toward 
relieving  us  in  this  distress ;  and  as  the  news  spread,  sim- 
ilar meetings  were  held  all  over  the  country,  and  liberal 
donations  and  subscriptions  were  made,  which  mightily 
cheered  the  hearts  of  those  more  immediately  interested 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


303 


in  the  Concern.  The  entire  amount  received  toward 
making  up  this  heavy  loss  was  188,346  09.  This,  as  it 
came  in,  enabled  the  agents  to  continue  their  business, 
and  they  recommenced  building,  even  while  the  smoke 
gave  signs  that  the  fire  was  not  entirely  extinguished. 

"  What  made  this  fire  the  more  disastrous  was,  that  the 
much  more  destructive  one  which  had  preceded  it  only 
about  two  months  in  the  city  of  New  York  had  pros- 
trated most  of  the  insurance  offices,  and  rendered  them 
unable  to  pay  the  demands  against  them,  and  made  it 
impossible  to  get  insured  in  New  York  with  any  safety 
for  some  time.  Most  of  the  policies  held  by  the  Concern 
had  expired  about  this  time  by  their  own  limitation ; 
and  such  were  the  fears  entertained  abroad  for  New 
York  fires  that  it  was  next  to  impossible  to  get  insured 
elsewhere  on  any  terms.  Hence  but  a  small  portion  was 
under  insurance  at  the  time  of  the  fire,  so  that  only 
about  $25,000  Avere  realized  from  these  sources  to  make 
up  the  loss." 

The  agents  and  editors,  encouraged  by  the  general  de- 
monstrations of  sympathy  and  liberality  among  the  people, 
devised  a  plan  of  new  buildings  and  of  enlarged  business, 
and  in  a  few  weeks  presented  it  to  the  General  Confer- 
ence, when  it  was  promptly  sanctioned,  and  the  establish- 
ment rose,  phoenix  like,  from  its  ashes  to  a  more  com- 
manding importance  than  it  had  ever  before  possessed. 


304 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER  XXL 

GENERAL  CONFERENCE  OF  1836. 

The  delegation  of  the  New  York  Conference  to  the 
General  Conference  of  183G  was  reduced  to  about  one 
half  of  what  it  had  been  at  the  preceding  session  ;  but 
the  name  of  Nathan  Bangs  was  still  retained  as  indis- 
pensable in  the  representation  of  his  brethren  before 
that  supreme  judicatory  of  the  Church.  It  was  second 
on  the  list,  preceded  only  by  that  of  the  veteran  Ostran- 
der,  and  followed  by  Beverly  Waugh,  Peter  P.  Sandford, 
and  six  others  of  similar  note.  The  session  began  in  Cin- 
cinnati on  the  2d  of  May,  and  continued  twenty-six 
days.  It  comprised  a  hundred  and  fifty-four  delegates. 
Dr.  Bangs  Avas  active,  as  usual,  in  its  most  important 
business.  He  procured  the  appointment  of  committees 
on  the  better  support  of  Preachers,  their  Widows  and 
Orphans,  the  support  of  Bishops  and  their  families,  on 
Bible,  Tract,  and  Sunday-School  Societies,  and  on  judicial 
business — an  anticipation  of  a  later  measure  by  which 
the  excessive  inconvenience  of  appeals  in  the  General 
Conference  has  been  greatly  mitigated ;  a  favorite  scheme 
of  his,  as  we  have  seen.  He  gave  particular  attention 
to  the  interests  of  the  Book  Concern,  Education,  Missions, 
Temperance,  the  Chartered  Fund,  and  the  still  unadjusted 
claims  of  his  old  friends,  the  Canada  brethren.  lie  was 
chairman  of  the  Committees  on  Missions,  on  the  Quad- 
rennial Address  of  the  British  Conference,  on  the  Pas- 
toral Address,  and  on  an  Address  to  the  British  breth- 
ren in  behalf  of  the  Temperance  Reform. 

The  late  disaster  to  the  Book  Concern,  and  the  loss 
of  two  bishops,  by  death,  within  the  last  year,  threw  over 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


305 


this  session  a  shade  of  sadness,  which  was  deepened  by 
a  reported  decrease  of  between  two  and  three  thousand 
communicants  within  the  same  year  of  affliction. 

PROSPERITY  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

The  aggregate  gains  of  the  quadrennial  period  were, 
however,  very  encouraging,  being  no  less  that  139,414 
communicants,  and  748  traveling  preachers  ;  an  average 
per  year  of  more  than  34,800  communicants  and  187 
preachers.  The  prominent  interests  of  the  Church  had  all 
advanced.  Its  colleges  and  seminaries  had  multiplied  even 
to  excess  :  there  were  now  seven  of  the  former  and  more 
than  twenty  of  the  latter.  There  were  no  less  than 
eight  weekly  periodicals  published  within  the  denomina- 
tion, half  of  them  "  official,"  at  New  York,  Cincinnati, 
Charleston,  and  Nashville  ;  half  independent,  at  Boston, 
Portland,  Auburn,  and  Richmond.  The  missionary  cause 
had  grown  rapidly  since  the  last  General  Conference. 
In  the  last  single  year  its  receipts  surpassed  those  of 
any  preceding  year  by  about  twenty-two  thousand  dol- 
lars ;  and  in  the  various  missionary  stations  there  had 
been  within  the  same  time  an  accession  to  the  mem- 
bership of  the  Church  of  more  than  four  thousand 
converts.  The  Liberia  Mission  was  now  organized 
into  an  Annual  Conference,  and  the  operations  of  the 
Missionary  Society  had  assumed  such  importance,  and 
involved  such  responsibility,  as  to  justify,  in  the  judg- 
ment of  the  Conference,  the  appointment  of  a  special 
officer,  or  "  Resident  Corresponding  Secretary,"  who 
could  devote  his  whole  attention  to  them.  Of  course 
the  mind  of  the  Conference,  as  indeed  of  the  general 
Church,  turned  spontaneously  to  Dr.  Bangs  as  the  man 
for  such  an  office,  and  he  was  elected  by  a  majority 
which  surpassed  that  of  any  of  the  three  bishops,  or  any 
of  the  numerous  editors  and  Book  Agents  (save  one  of 
the  latter)  who  were  elected  by  ballot  during  this  session. 
20 


306 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


MISSIONARY  SECRETARY  GERMAN  METHODISM. 

At  the  adjournment  of  the  Conference  he  returned  to 
New  York,  and  entered  with  energy  upon  his  new  func- 
tions. The  first  year  of  his  secretaryship  (1836-7)  was 
signalized  by  the  first  recognition  and  announcement  by 
the  Missionary  Society*  of  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
events  in  the  history  of  modern  missions,  the  beginning 
of  the  German  Methodist  Missions.  Professor  Nast,  a 
young  German  scholar  of  thorough  but  Rationalistic  ed- 
ucation, had  been  reclaimed  by  Methodism  to  the  faith 
of  the  Reformation.  In  1835  he  was  sent  to  labor 
among  his  countrymen  in  Cincinnati;  in  1836  he  was 
appointed  by  the  Ohio  Conference  to  a  German  charge 
on  the  Columbus  District,  comprising  a  circuit  of  three 
hundred  miles  and  twenty-two  appointments.  Thus 
originated  the  most  successful,  if  not  the  most  import- 
ant of  Methodist  missions;  and  in  the  next  Annual  Re- 
port of  the  Society  the  "  German  Mission,"  and  the 
name  of  "  William  Nast,"  its  founder  and  missionary, 
were  first  declared  to  the  general  Church.  German 
Methodism  rapidly  extended  through  the  nation,  to  Bos- 
ton in  the  North-east,  to  New  Orleans  in  the  South-west. 
German  Methodist  Churches,  circuits,  districts,  were 
organized.  "  In  the  brief  space  of  fourteen  years,"  says 
the  historian  of  Methodist  Missions,  "  the  German  Mis- 
sions have  extended  all  over  the  country,  and  now  there 
are  seven  thousand  Church-memberS,  thirty  local  preach- 
ers, eighty-three  regular  mission  circuits  and  stations, 
and  one  hundred  and  eight  missionaries.  One  hundred 
churches,  have  been  built  for  German  worship,  and  forty 
parsonages.  The  increase  in  membership  during  the 
past  year  (1848)  was  nearly  one  thousand.  Primitive 
Methodism  appears  to  have  revived  in  the  zeal  and  sim- 
plicity and  self-sacrificing  devotion  of  the  German  Meth- 
odists. May  they  ever  retain  this  spirit !  No  agency 
*  Missionary  Eeport  of  1837. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


307 


has  ever  been  employed  so  specifically  adapted  to  effect 
the  conversion  of  Romanists  as  that  which  is  immediate- 
ly connected  with  the  German  Mission  enterprise.  The 
pastoral  visitations  of  the  preachers  bringing  them  into 
immediate  contact  with  German  Catholics,  their  distri- 
bution of  Bibles  and  tracts,  their  plain,  pointed,  and 
practical  mode  of  preaching,  all  combine  to  bring  the 
truth  to  bear  upon  that  portion  of  the  population  ;  and 
the  result  is  the  conversion  of  hundreds  from  the  errors 
of  Romanism."*  The  chief  importance  of  the  German 
Mission  has,  however,  been  developed  since  this  date. 
It  has  not  only  raised  up  a  mighty  evangelical  provision 
for  the  host  of  German  emigrants  to  the  New  World, 
but  it  has  intrenched  itself  in  the  German  "  fatherland," 
and  is  laying  broad  foundations  for  a  European  German 
Methodism.  German  Societies  and  circuits,  a  German 
Conference,  a  German  "  Book  Concern  "  and  German 
periodicals,  with  all  the  other  customary  appliances  of 
evangelical  Churches,  have  been  established ;  and,  in  our 
day,  this  Teutonic  Methodism  comprises,  on  both  sides 
of  the  Atlantic,  nearly  27,000  communicants,  and  nearly 
three  hundred  missionaries.  It  early  engaged  the  atten- 
tion of  the  new  Missionary  Secretary  as  a  chief  interest 
of  his  office. 

TRAVELS  FOR  MISSIONS. 

Though,  as  Resident  Secretary,  his  most  responsible  du- 
ties were  local,  he  traveled  extensively  in  promoting  the 
cause.  In  183G  he  journeyed  up  the  Hudson,  preaching 
for  it  in  all  the  principal  communities  on  his  route.  He 
passed  into  Connecticut,  and  over  much  of  Long  Island, 
and  as  far  south  as  Baltimore.  In  the  summer  of  1837 
he  again  traveled  over  eastern  New  York  and  western 
Vermont,  preaching  almost  daily,  and  spreading  the  mis- 
sionary spirit  among  the  Churches.  "  Methodism,"  he 
writes,  "has  taken  deep  hold  of  the  understandings  and 
*  Strickland,  page  109. 


308 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


hearts  of  the  people ;  but  in  many  places  the  Church  suf- 
fers greatly  by  emigration  to  the  West."  He  records 
some  rather  unfavorable  reflections  on  the  character  of 
the  ministry  as  he  observed  it  in  this  tour.  "  Most  of  the 
preachers  are  young,  and  some  of  them  ill-informed  in 
the  studies  and  duties  of  the  pastoral  oftice."  He  thought 
that  he  perceived  an  unfortunate  change  from  "  the  burn- 
ing yet  steady  zeal"  of  the  earlier  ministry,  with  its 
deeply  pious  temper,  to  "  an  affected  refinement "  in 
some,  and  a  "  mere  ecclesiastical  or  controversial  zeal  in 
others."  "This  remark,"  he  adds,  " must  not  be  indis- 
criminately applied  to  all,  for  I  found  some,  who  for 
tlieir  talents,  gravity,  and  evangelical  simplicity  would 
compare  advantageously  with  the  earlier  preachers. 
Nothing  is  more  important  for  the  welfare  of  the  Church 
than  an  experienced,  evangelical,  and  well-qualified  min- 
istry." It  must,  however,  be  borne  in  mind,  that  about 
this  time  the  great  antislavery  controversy  was  sweeping 
over  that  portion  of  the  Church,  moving  all  minds.  It 
was  hardly  a  fitting  time  for  a  just  estimation  of  the 
spirit  of  the  ministry,  and  the  secretary's  own  standpoint 
in  that  controversy  was  hardly  the  best  for  an  impartial 
judgment. 

IN  CANADA  AGAIN. 

In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  he  visited  the  west 
of  the  state,  and  passed  again  into  Canada,  refreshing, 
with  deep  and  affecting  interest,  his  early  Christian  re- 
membrances. He  found  his  beloved  sister  still  living  in 
the  province,  about  eight  miles  from  Niagara,  "well,  and 
deeply  devoted  to  God."  Their  meeting  was  one  of  much 
tenderness  and  many  tears.  On  Sunday  he  preached  in 
a  church  occupied  by  the  society  which  he  had  first 
joined  as  a  Methodist  about  thirty-six  years  before. 
"  What  a  change,"  he  writes,  "  did  I  witness  !  Only 
two  persons,  a  widow  and  her  daughter,  did  I  recognize 
as  having  been  among  my  old  acquaintances  and  class- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


309 


mates.  The  children  of  my  old  friends  had  grown  up, 
and  many  of  them  had  taken  the  places  of  their  fathers 
in  the  Church.  They  remembered  me,  but  I  could  not 
recollect  them,  for  they  had  changed  from  childhood  to 
manhood.  The  reception  they  gave  me  was  peculiarly 
cordial  and  respectful,  and  what  inexpressible  memories 
and  emotions  were  called  up  by  this  passing  return  to 
the  place  of  my  spiritual  birth  and  of  the  commence- 
ment of  my  ministerial  labors.  How  many  prayers  and 
vows  did  I  make  years  ago,  while  bowing  before  the 
Lord  in  a  grove  which  stood  near  the  spot  where  stands 
the  Church  in  which  I  now  preached  ;  and  how  many 
scenes  of  joy  and  sorrow  have  I  passed  through  since 
those  days!  In  the  evening  I  preached  at  Thorold  ;  the 
congregation  was  very  large,  and  there  I  had  the  pleas- 
ure of  renewing  my  acquaintance  with  George  Keefer, 
Esq.,  who  joined  the  Methodists  about  the  same  time 
that  I  did.  After  spending  two  days  with  my  sister  I 
left  for  Buffalo,  taking  my  course  along  the  shore  on 
the  Canada  side  through  Chipjiewa.  Here  also  I 
passed  along  the  scenes  of  my  youthful  travels  and 
labors.  I  lodged  with  a  Brother  M'Affee,  at  whose 
house  I  was  refused  a  lodging  in  those  days  of 
trial  by  another  person  on  a  winter's  night,  after  the 
piercing  cold  had  been  shaking  my  frame  throughout 
the  day.  Xow,  through  the  religion  of  Christ,  I  was 
welcomed  with  kindness  and  hospitality.  The  next  day 
I  had  the  pleasure  of  greeting  an  old  acquaintance,  in 
whose  house  I  had  often  preached  in  those  early  days. 
On  Tuesday  Ave  crossed  to  Buffalo  in  a  horse-boat. 
What  a  change  has  taken  place  here  !  At  my  first  visit 
it  had  two  or  three  log-huts;  now  it  is  a  city  of  nearly 
twenty  thousand  souls,  with  elegant  houses  and  costly 
churches,  and  its  harbor  is  alive  with  steamers  and  other 
vessels.  What  a  country  may  these  United  States  be  if 
they  only  keep  together,  and  fear  God  and  work  right- 
eousness !"    In  this  excursion  he  traveled  about  a  thou- 


310 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


sand  miles,  and  preached  nearly  every  other  day  for 
missions. 

SEA  ADVENTURES  OP  HIS  BROTHER. 

In  November  of  the  same  year  he  turned  southward 
as  far  as  Virginia.  On  his  route  he  paused  in  Phila- 
delphia to  see  one  of  his  brothers,  the  only  one  who  re- 
mained out  of  the  Church.  "  I  lodged,"  he  says,  "  in 
Philadelphia  with  my  brother,  Captain  Elijah  K.  Bangs. 
This  brother  has  been  a  seaman  ever  since  he  was  about 
sixteen  years  of  age.  Indeed,  before  my  father  moved 
from  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  when  he  was  but  eleven  years 
of  age,  Elijah  went  as  a  cabin-boy,  at  his  own  request, 
on  a  voyage  to  the  West  Indies.  Though  he  afterward 
removed  with  us  to  Stamford,  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.,  yet 
such  were  his  predilections  for  a  seafaring  life  that  he 
never  was  contented  until  he  obtained  his  father's  con- 
sent to  go  to  sea  again.  Accordingly,  when  about  six- 
teen years  of  age  he  left  his  father's  house,  went  to 
Philadelphia,  embarked  as  a  common  sailor,  and  has  con- 
tinued the  life  of  a  seaman  ever  since.  He  rose,  however, 
so  rapidly  that  in  his  twenty-first  year  of  age  he  took 
the  command  of  a  ship  for  the  East  Indies,  and  has  made 
several  voyages  to  that  country.  When  I  was  stationed 
in  New  York  city,  in  1811,  he  put  into  that  harbor, 
where  I  saw  him  after  an  absence  of  fifteen  years.  How 
different  were  our  conditions !  Since  we  had  seen  each 
other  I  had  experienced  religion,  and  had  been  for 
about  ten  years  preaching  the  Gospel  in  different  parts 
of  the  country ;  while  lie  had  been  a  sailor,  had  risen  to 
command,  had  been  almost  to  every  part  of  the  world  in 
quest  of  the  riches  that  perish  with  the  using,  and  yet 
had  not  obtained  that  after  which  he  had  so  laboriously 
sought.  But  I  had  forsaken  the  pursuit  of  worldly  good 
to  obtain  an  '  inheritance  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and 
that  fadeth  not  away,'  and  had  so  far  obtained  the 
object  of  my  pursuit  as  to  have,  as  I  believed,  a  well 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


311 


grounded  hope  of  possessing  this  inheritance.  Thero 
was,  therefore,  but  little  congeniality  of  views  between 
us  in  these  respects,  notwithstanding  we  felt  and  loved 
as  brothers  in  the  flesh.  In  the  beginning  of  the  troubles 
between  our  country  and  Great  Britain,  which  terminated 
in  the  Avar  of  1812,  he  was  first  taken  by  a  British 
cruiser  under  the  '  Orders  in  Council '  and  carried  to  a 
British  port ;  but  the  Court  of  Admiralty  acquitted  him 
because  it  was  proved  that  he  had  left  the  American 
port  before  the  1  Orders '  were  promulgated.  The  first 
day  after  leaving  the  English  harbor  he  was  boarded  by 
a  French  cruiser,  taken  to  Dunkirk  in  France,  and  his 
ship  and  cargo  were  condemned  under  the  '  Milan 
Decree '  because  he  had  suffered  his  flag  to  be  denation- 
alized, as  they  called  it,  that  is,  to  be  taken  by  the  En- 
glish. What  injustice  was  this!  But  it  was  the  decree 
of  a  tyrant,  and  must  be  enforced.  A  short  time  before 
he  sailed  my  brother  had  married  his  second  wife,  a 
Quaker  lady  of  Philadelphia,  and  had  her  with  him. 
They  were  detained  as  prisoners  in  Dunkirk  for  about 
two  years.  Here  their  eldest  son  was  born.  At  the 
time  I  saw  him  in  New  York  harbor  he  had  a  new  ship, 
built  as  a  fast  sailer,  with  a  view  to  elude  the  chase  of 
cruisers  ;  but  I  told  him  he  would  probably  fall  into  the 
hands  of  one  or  the  other  of  the  belligerents.  On  his 
arrival  in  France  he  wrote  me,  stating  that  although  he 
had  been  chased  twice  by  the  British  he  had  eluded  their 
pursuit,  and  had  arrived  safely  at  Bordeaux.  He  ex- 
changed his  freight  for  a  cargo  of  French  brandy,  and  on 
his  return  voyage,  near  the  banks  of  Newfoundland,  was 
taken  by  a  British  man-of-war,  carried  to  Halifax,  in 
Nova  Scotia,  and  ship  and  cargo  were  condemned  for 
having  traded  with  the  French.  Not  long  after  this,  in 
another  ship,  he  was  wrecked  on  the  coast  of  Holland, 
and  in  the  mean  time  lost  liis  estimable  wife,  by  whicli 
four  children  were  left  motherless.  After  various  vicis- 
situdes of  good  and  ill  luck  he  was  finally  forced  to 


312 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


abandon  that  and  all  other  employments  by  an  obstinate 
and,  it  seems,  an  incurable  attack  of  rheumatism,  by  which 
he  has  been  confined  to  his  room,  and  much  of  the  time 
to  his  bed,  not  able  even  to  walk,  for  seven  or  eight  years. 
In  this  state  of  decrepitude  I  found  him.  I  conversed 
Avith  him  much  on  religion,  but  seemingly  with  no  effect. 
I  left  him  with  a  prayer  to  God  in  his  behalf — that  he 
may  be  saved.  He  is  now  living  with  his  daughter 
Rebecca,  an  amiable  woman,  who  has  an  estimable 
husband." 

TRAVELS  SOUTHWARD. 

He  passed  on  by  steamboat  and  stage-coaches  through 
Baltimore  and  Washington,  arriving  at  the  latter  city  in 
about  thirteen  hours,  a  speed  which  draws  from  him  the 
exclamation,  "  Such  is  the  velocity  of  steam  !  What  a 
mighty  power  does  man  possess  over  the  elements  and 
laws  of  nature  !"  He  was  to  live  to  see  the  time  when 
this  surprise  should  itself  become  surprising.  He  visited 
Fredericksburgh,  Petersburgh,  Richmond,  and  Norfolk, 
preaching  for  missions,  and  taking  collections  which  in 
that  day  were  considered  extraordinary  in  amount.  He 
was  much  pleased  with  the  warmth  of  religious  feeling 
which  he  found  among  the  Churches  of  Virginia.  A  visit 
to  the  venerable  Bishop  Moore,  at  Richmond,  afforded 
both  of  them  no  little  gratification.  "He  is  a  truly  venera- 
ble man,  and  received  us  with  all  the  simple  courtesy  of  a 
primitive  bishop.  His  conversation  was  of  a  pious  strain, 
but  also  enlivened  by  interesting  anecdotes,  and  remarka- 
bly catholic  in  its  allusions  to  other  Christian  commun- 
ions than  his  own.  He  is  by  no  means  exclusive  in  his 
views  of  ordination,  but  holds  the  principles  of  the  late 
Bishop  White,  of  Pennsylvania." 

On  his  return  route  he  spent  some  time  in  Washington, 
the  guest  of  the  late  eminent  Dr.  Sewell,  u  whose  Chris- 
tian simplicity  and  hospitality,"  he  writes,  "  made  me 
thankful  to  God  for  raising  up  such  a  man  to  stand  as  '  a 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


313 


burning  and  shining  light '  in  the  land."  He  delivered 
five  missionary  discourses  in  the  District  and  returned  to 
New  York,  recording  some  saddened  reflections  on  Vir- 
ginia. "  Melancholy  impressions  were  made  upon  my 
mind  as  I  passed  through  the  state.  That  it  is  fast  retro- 
grading is  manifest  to  any  observer.  The  blighting 
influence  of  slavery  has  left  indelible  marks  of  deteriora- 
tion upon  the  whole  condition  of  the  country.  Much  of 
the  laud  has  become  exhausted  and  sterile.  It  will  not 
pay  the  agriculturist  for  his  toil,  and  the  state  seems  to 
be  groaning  under  the  curse.  No  one  can  doubt  that 
slave  labor  is  the  most  expensive  of  all  labor,  and,  there- 
fore, could  it  be  abolished  a  regard  for  the  temporal 
interests  of  the  people  alone  -would  dictate  the  policy 
of  emancipation.  I  am  satisfied  that  it  costs  twice  as 
much  to  rear  a  family  in  Virginia  as  it  does  in  the  free 
states,  and  of  this  fact  many  of  the  people  of  the  state 
seem  to  be  fully  convinced,  and  they  would  relieve  them- 
selves of  the  evil  if  they  could;  at  least  so  those  expressed 
themselves  with  whom  I  conversed.  I  am  also  con- 
vinced that  had  not  the  injudicious  measures  of  ultraists 
betrayed  them  into  such  sweeping  denunciations  of  the 
South,  before  this  day  a  train  of  measures  would  have 
been  put  in  operation  which  would  have  eventuated  in 
emancipation.  As  things  now  are,  however,  I  know  not 
how  this  is  to  be  brought  about.  I  wish  here  to  record 
ray  conviction  that  slavery  is  a  curse  from  which  every 
good  man  ought  to  labor  to  be  delivered  ;  but  I  see  that 
our  northern  measures  are  exasperating  the  difficulties 
of  emancipation."  These  were  his  candid  opinions ;  he 
could  not  yet  accept  the  equally  candid  opinions  of  other 
men,  that  extreme  measures  alone  could  uproot  this 
extreme  social  vice. 

THE  CONTROVERSY  ON  SLAVERY. 

From  his  infancy  he  had  been  trained  to  abhor  slavery. 
His  Chin  ch  had  always  considered  it  a  legitimate  subject 


314 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


for  its  remonstrating  testimony  ;  but  of  late  years  it  had 
become  a  question  of  rife  controversy,  especially  in  the 
north-eastern  Conferences,  and  it  seemed  to  him  so  badly 
managed,  and  so  menacing  to  the  unity  of  the  denomina- 
tion, as  to  justify  his  persistent  opposition  to  the  anti- 
slavery  leaders,  whom  he  considered  destructives  rather 
than  reformers.  It  was  difficult  indeed  for  even  mod- 
erate men  to  maintain  their  equanimity  under  the  preva- 
lent excitement.  Slavery  became  a  party  question — a 
test  question  in  fine ;  the  elections  for  delegates  to  the 
General  Conference,  and  of  even  Conference  secretaries 
and  committees,  being  complicated  with  it.  The  ad- 
ministration of  the  bishops  was  impeached,  and  Bish- 
op Iledding  especially  was  pursued  by  fierce  and  unre- 
lenting hostility  as  he  passed  from  Conference  to  Con- 
ference. "  Generally,"  says  his  biographer,  "  a  cloud  of 
lecturers  (mostly  Methodist  preachers)  hung  about  his 
path,  perverting  and  misrepresenting  his  acts  and  charac- 
ter." *  The  bishop  appealed  to  one  of  the  New  England 
Conferences  for  redress  against  the  charges  of  two  of  its 
members,  Rev.  Messrs.  Scott  and  Sunderland.  The  Con- 
ference sustained  these  men,  and  if  it  did  not  thereby 
virtually  indorse,  it  refused  at  least  to  rebuke  their 
reflections  upon  him.  The  bishops  generally  were  treated 
with  similar  severity.  Dr.  Wilbur  Fisk  was  formally 
accused  by  Rev.  La  Roy  Sunderland,  and  would  have  been 
judicially  tried  before  his  own  Conference  (a  majority  of 
which  were  opposed  to  him)  had  it  not  been  for  a  pri- 
vate compromise,  through  which  the  charges  were  with- 
drawn. Dr.  Bangs  was  now  (1838)  cited  to  trial  before 
the  New  York  Conference  by  Rev.  Orange  Scott,  under 
grave  charges  of  public  misconduct  toward  the  latter 
in  the  course  of  the  controversy.  These  charges  related 
to  newspaper  articles  of  the  doctor  on  the  speeches  and 

*  Eev.  Dr.  Clark's  "  Life  and  Times  of  Hedding,"  etc.,  chapter  svi. 
1  must  refer  the  reader  to  this  hook  for  a  somewhat  full  and  candid 
report  of  the  controversy. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


315 


writings  of  Mr.  Scott.  They  were  referred  to  a  commit- 
tee, consisting  of  Rev.  Drs.  Holdieh,  Hodgson,  and  Ken- 
nady,  and  Rev.  Messrs.  Arnold  and  Seney.  The  accused 
and  accuser  appeared  before  this  committee,  and  "the 
charges  and  specifications  were  successively  presented  and 
duly  considered."  The  committee  reported  that  "  they 
are  unanimously  of  the  opinion  that  there  is  no  cause  of 
complaint  against  the  defendant,  and  therefore  respect- 
fully submit  the  following  resolution  :  That  the  charges 
against  Dr.  Nathan  Bangs  are  not  sustained,  and  that 
his  character  pass."  The  Conference  adopted  the  reso- 
lution by  a  vote  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  for,  and 
nine  against  it.  In  his  manuscript  journal  Dr.  Bangs 
says:  "  God  enabled  me  to  vindicate  my  conduct  against 
these  charges  in  a  manner  perfectly  satisfactory  to  my- 
self, and  I  think  also  to  my  friends,  as  well  as  to  the 
confusion  of  my  adversaries.  The  motive  of  my  accuser 
I  leave  to  himself  and  to  the  Judge  of  all,  hoping  lie 
may  find  acceptance  in  that  day  which  shall  disclose 
the  secrets  of  all  hearts." 

This  great  controversy,  beginning  about  1834,  had 
now  extended  through  many  of  the  northern  Confer- 
ences. It  had  raged  in  the  last  General  Conference.  It 
continued  to  shake  the  denomination  for  years.  Numer- 
ous conventions  were  held  for  the  discussion  of  the  sub- 
ject. It  was  debated  in  Annual  Conferences  and  Quar- 
terly Conferences,  in  individual  Churches,  in  pamphlets, 
and  in  the  periodicals  of  the  Church.  It  became  the 
absorbing  theme  of  large  portions  of  the  denomination, 
the  ministry  and  people  being  distributed  into  at  least 
three  parties,  or  classes,  the  extreme  antislavery  party,  the 
extreme  opposition,  and  an  intermediate  class.  Both  ex- 
tremes, as  usual,  were  obnoxious  to  animadversion. 
The  "  ultra-abolitionists "  were  accused  of  dangerous 
impetuosity,  of  illegal  measures,  and  unjustifiable  severity 
of  language  ;  the  extreme  opposition,  while  professing 
sound  antislavery  sentiments,  was  accused  of  too  much 


316 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


reticence  on  the  question,  of  less  zeal  against  slavery 
than  against  the  antislavery  leaders,  and  was  called 
"  pro-slavery."  Meanwhile  the  moderate  party  pro- 
nounced both  extremes  in  error,  insisting  that  the 
Church  Discipline  presented  a  good  testimony  against 
slavery,  that  prudent  "  free  speech  "  could  be  maintained 
on  the  subject  in  the  Church  organs,  and  otherwise,  with- 
out disloyalty  to  the  denomination,  and  without  personal 
wranglings ;  and  that  if  by  such  legitimate  discussions  a 
time  should  come  when  circumstances  and  public  opin- 
ion should  justify  any  modification  of  the  disciplinary 
rules  respecting  slavery  it  could  be  constitutionally 
made,  and  that  all  good  Methodists  should  submissively 
abide  the  result.  The  extreme  opposition  predicted,  as 
probable  if  not  inevitable,  from  the  measures  of  the  anti- 
slavery  leaders,  a  rupture  of  the  denomination,  and  con- 
sequent danger  of  a  rupture  of  the  Federal  Union,  for 
Methodism  was  the  chief  religious  and,  in  a  sense,  the 
chief  social  tie  between  the  northern  and  southern  States, 
its  ramifications  extending  through  every  city,  town, 
village,  and  almost  every  neighborhood  of  the  South. 
The  other  extreme  party,  if  not  disposed  to  smile  at 
these  prophecies,  deemed  the  more  active  opposition  of 
the  Church  to  slavery  a  duty  paramount  to  the  consid- 
eration of  any  such  contingent  perils.  The  moderate 
party,  or  rather  class,  believing  that  the  Church  could 
maintain  a  legitimate  policy  on  the  question,  with  due 
caution  against  such  fearful  hazards,  asserted  that  the 
chief,  if  not  only  difficulty  in  the  way  of  such  a  policy 
was  the  personal  passions,  not  to  say  the  official  ambi- 
tion, of  the  party  leaders  on  both  sides.  The  agitation 
swept  at  last  like  a  hurricane  over  the  northern  and  es- 
pecially the  eastern  Conferences.  Their  sessions  were 
sometimes  attended  with  incredible  excitement.  The 
bishops  while  officially  visiting  them  were  usually  attend- 
ed by  leading  brethren  from  other  Conferences,  men 
who  sympathized  with  the  episcojjal  policy  on  the  qucs- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


317 


tion,  and  whose  influence  and  ability  could,  it  was  sup- 
posed, aid  in  sustaining  the  episcopal  administration 
amid  the  storm.  Dr.  Bangs  was  active  in  this  sort  of 
service,  as  his  missionary  secretaryship  led  him  to  many 
Conferences.  He  loved  the  Church  as  few  men  then 
living  could  love  it;  he  thought  he  saw  in  the  agi- 
tation the  portents  of  frightful  disasters;  he,  therefore, 
spoke  strongly ;  the  personal  severities  of  his  opponents 
provoked  him  to  severe  replies,  and  his  voice  and  manner 
in  debate  gave  an  exaggerated  impression  of  his  temper. 
His  brotherly  sympathy  with  his  old  friend,  the  saintly 
Bedding,  and  with  the  equally  devoted  Fisk,  both  chief 
objects  of  the  hostility  of  the  ultra  antislavery  leaders, 
led  him  to  stand  by  them  in  the  hardest  brunt  of  the 
contest.  The  biographer  of  Iledding  says  the  bishop 
u  witnessed,  with  painful  emotion,  the  excited  state  of 
feeling  in  the  New  England  and  Xew  Hampshire  Confer- 
ences. He  was  distressed  beyond  measure  at  the  ultra 
measures  that  were  adopted  by  many  members,  the 
harsh  expressions  that  were  used,  and  the  consequent 
alienation  of  feeling  among  those  who  had  long  lived  and 
labored  together  as  brethren,  and  also  at  the  imperious 
and  arrogant  spirit  of  some  of  the  leaders,  which  lie  felt 
assured,  unless  timely  checked,  could  end  in  nothing  but 
the  most  radical  and  determined  opposition  to  the  gov- 
ernment and  salutary  discipline  of  the  Church.  He  had 
also  shared  largely  in  the  personal  abuse  that  was  heaped 
upon  those  who,  on  account  of  prospective  evil,  sought 
to  arrest  or  modify  the  course  of  the  new  and  radical 
movement.  The  sessions  of  the  Xew  England  and  Xew 
Hampshire  Conferences  for  1835  had  been  anticipated 
by  an  1  Appeal '  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  addressed  to 
the  members  of  each  by  some  of  the  prominent  abolition- 
ists, though  prepared,  we  believe,  principally  by  La  Roy 
Sunderland  and  George  Storrs.  To  counteract  the  in- 
fluence of  this  '  Appeal,'  a  '  Counter  Appeal,'  signed 
by  Dr.  Fisk,  John  Lindsay,  Bartholomew  Otheman,  Abel 


318 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


Stevens,  and  others,  was  issued  in  the  fall  of  tie  same 
year.  It  was  also  accompanied  by  a  note  from  Bishop 
Hedding,  in  which  he  expressed  his  belief  of  the  correct- 
ness of  its  statements  and  arguments,  especially  those 
relating  to  the  acts  of  the  General  Conference." 

This .  document,  however  unsound  in  some  of  its  sec- 
ondary positions,  was  essentially  sound  in  its  antislavery 
doctrines.  It  agreed  with  the  general  sentiment  of  bib- 
lical critics  and  the  Christian  world  respecting  the  scrip- 
tural doctrine  on  the  subject,  and  it  was  written  with 
remarkable  ability.  The  biographer  of  Hedding,  after 
citing  examples  of  its  opinions,  adds:  "A  document 
containing  sentiments  like  the  above  must  have  been 
singularly  incongruous  to. have  been  pro-slavery  in  its 
general  character ;  or,  had  its  authors  designed  it  as  a 
defense  of  slavery,  they  certainly  shot  very  wide  of  their 
general  design  in  these  passages.  The  pen  of  so  skillful  a 
logician  and  so  forcible  and  scholarly  a  writer  as  Profes- 
sor Whedon,  by  whom  the  main  labor  of  its  preparation 
was  performed,  could  hardly  have  been  guilty  of  such 
aberrations ;  and  yet  both  of  these  charges  were  laid 
against  the  '  Counter  Appeal '  and  its  authors.  The 
conflict  had  now  fairly  commenced.  That  Church  which 
had  always  most  strongly  protested  against  the  great 
evil  of  slavery,  was  most  fiercely  denounced.  Some  of 
the  more  ultra  and  less  cautious  did  not  hesitate  to  de- 
clare that  they  would  never  falter  till  they  had  '  split  the 
great  Methodist  prop  to  slavery.'  " 

The  "Counter  Appeal,"  and  indeed  every  counter  effort, 
seemed  only  to  afford  the  ultra  leaders  new  material  for 
the  spreading  combustion.  It  raged  on  amid  dissonant 
brethren,  divided  Churches,  and  contending  Conferences. 
If  any  observer,  praying  and  trembling  for  the  Church, 
dared  to  hope  that  the  violence  of  the  storm  in  the 
General  Conference  of  1836  would  be  its  culmination, 
he  was  speedily  disappointed.  It  swept  on  for  years. 
At  last,  however,  wiser  counsels  began  to  be  sug- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


319 


gested,  especially  in  the  eastern  Conferences.  "  Zion's 
Herald,"  published  in  Boston,  had  been  from  the  be- 
ginning largely  occupied  by  the  -writings  of  Messrs. 
Scott,  Snnderland,  and  their  fellow-leaders  of  the  ex- 
treme antislavery  party.  Other  men,  equally  zealous 
for  the  slave,  but  more  considerate  of  the  safety  of 
the  Church,  began  now  to  speak  in  its  columns,  and  it 
became  manifest  that  the  people  were  losing  their  confi- 
dence in  the  ability  and  discretion  of  the  old  leaders  of 
the  controversy.  The  Herald  was  published  by  a  com- 
pany of  laymen,  who  elected  its  editor,  and  many  of  whom 
had  been  always  opposed  to  the  extreme  violence  of  the 
agitation.  At  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  Fisk,  a  young 
man  who  had  been  educated  by  himself,  and  who  had 
signed  with  him  the  "  Counter  Appeal,"  and  was,  there- 
fore, known  to  be  "  conservative,"  though  decidedly  anti- 
slavery,  was  appointed  by  these  laymen  editor  of  the 
paper.  He  immediately  adopted  and  published  in  its 
columns  certain  restrictions  on  the  controversy  which 
were  violently  resented  by  the  party  leaders,  but  as 
promptly  sanctioned  by  the  Churches  generally.  The 
former  soon  revolted  and  organized  a  secession,  and  thus 
relieved  the  denomination  of  many  disturbing  and  un- 
controllable spirits.  They  ceased  not,  however,  to  assail 
the  Church  ;  they  transferred  from  Lowell  a  small  journal 
and  planted  it  near  the  Herald  in  Boston,  as  an  opposition 
organ.  It  was  not  sustained  there,  however,  and  before 
long  was  removed  to  New  York.  The  schismatic  Churches 
expired  generally  in  the  New  England  States,  and  it  is 
doubtful  whether  an  important  trace  of  them  still  remains 
there.  The  policy  of  the  Herald  was  to  maintain  in  its 
columns  a  perfectly  free  interchange  of  opinions  (for  all 
parties)  on  the  general  question  of  slavery,  but  to 
exclude  all  personal  wrangling,  all  local  disputes  on  the 
question  between  Churches  and  their  pastors  or  their 
presiding  elders,  (some  of  which  had  become  grievous 
evils,)  to  expunge  from  all  articles  vituperative  language, 


320 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


and  to  allow  no  disloyal  reflections  on  the  Church,  its 
laws  or  its  administrator^.  It  asserted  that  the  Disci- 
pline of  the  Church  is  evangelically  antislavery,  though 
it  has  always  recognized  the  right  of  Christian  masters 
to  membership  in  its  communion,  and  has  never,  from  its 
organization,  been  one  hour  without  such  members  ;  that 
in  this  respect  it  is  conformed  to  the  example  of  the 
primitive  Church  and  the  Pauline  counsels  to  masters 
and  slaves,  (as  had  been  shoAvn  in  the  "  Counter  Appeal," 
and  taught  by  all  accredited  biblical  expositors,)  but 
that,  like  the  apostolic  Church,  it  places  both  masters 
and  slaves  under  a  moral  regimen  adapted  to  purify  their 
mutual  relation  from  its  prevalent  evils,  and  prepare  the 
way  for  its  extirpation ;  that  the  Church  tolerated  the 
relation,  but  pronounced  it  a  "  great  evil,"  and  aimed 
expressly  at  its  "  extirpation,"  interdicting  meanwhile 
the  slave  traffic  and  other  abuses;  that,  in  fine,  all  its 
moral  discipline,  as  prescribed  in  the  "  General  Rules," 
applied  directly  or  indirectly  to  slavery  as  to  the  other 
relations  of  its  members.  The  schismatic  leaders  accused 
the  denomination  of  not  only  tolerating  but  of  sanction- 
ing slavery,  and  defined  slavery  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
include  in  it  traffic  in  the  bodies  and  souls  of  men,  the 
separation  of  families,  adultery,  the  lash,  etc.  This  was 
espesially  done  by  a  convention  held  at  Utica,  N.  Y. 
The  loyal  antislavery  writers  spurned  the  monstrous  mis- 
representation. Much  perplexed  discussion  prevailed  on 
the  ethics  and  metaphysics  of  the  subject — on  the  essence 
of  slavery  as  logically  distinguished  from  its  mere  form, 
on  slavery  per  se,  slavery  in  the  abstract  and  slavery  in 
the  concrete,  and  the  controversy,  in  fine,  created  a 
vocabulary,  a  terminology  of  its  own.  If  the  Utica  defi- 
nition of  slavery  were  correct,  then  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  admitted  no  slavery  in  its  Discipline.  Ab- 
solutely it  admitted  no  essential  slavery,  but  only  the 
form  of  the  relation,  and  this  because  of  the  civil  laws 
of  certain  states,  which  prohibited  emancipation,  or 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


321 


because  there  were  circumstances — of  age  or  childhood, 
of  infirmity  or  incapacity — in  which,  as  Bishop  Hedding 
argued,  the  "  Golden  Rule "  itself  might  render  the 
mere  form  of  the  relation  a  duty  on  some  men  already 
involved  in  it — in  other  words,  on  the  same  grounds  on 
which  the  apostolic  Church  tolerated  it.  The  Utica 
definition  was  admissible  as  a  characterization  of  slavery 
in  general,  and  as  virtually  defensive  of  the  Discipline  of 
the  Church ;  but  as  an  imputation  against  the  Church  it 
was  repelled.  In  view  of  this  definition  and  the  discus- 
sions which  followed,  "Zion's  Herald"  declared  that 
slavery  has  no  more  constitutional  right  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  "  than  the  devil  has  in  heaven ;"  and 
this  was  said,  and  said  justly,  while  the  paper  was  declar- 
ing habitually  that  the  form  of  the  relation  was  tolerated 
in  the  Church  ;  that  Christian  masters  had,  and  (as  an 
unquestionable  historical  fact)  had  always  had  a  constitu- 
tional right  to  membership,  and  that  no  new  law  (that  is 
to  say,  no  new  term  of  membership)  could  be  constitu- 
tionally made  against  that  right,  except  by  the  stringent 
process  prescribed  by  the  "Restrictive  Rules  "of  the 
Discipline.  Vindicating  the  Church  against  the  impeach- 
ments of  the  schismatics,  and  yet  hoping  to  see  it  more 
actively  and  generally  interested  for  the  slave  than  it  had 
been,  the  tone  of  the  eastern  Churches  on  the  question 
became  healthful  and  loyal.  If  less  was  said  on  the 
subject  than  before,  there  was  not  less  interest  for  it, 
but  less  necessity  for  its  discussion,  as  the  Churches  had 
become  harmonized,  if  not  indeed  unanimous.  The 
verbal  or  metaphysical  discriminations  and  hair-splitting 
(evasive,  apologetic,  or  legitimate)  of  the  discussion  gave 
way  to  more  intelligible  and  practical  views,  and  the 
eastern  Conferences  presented  a  comparatively  uniform 
and  tranquil  aspect.  They  were  soundly  antislavery  and 
soundly  Methodistic. 

In  other  sections  of  the  denomination,  however — those 
which  had  more  recently  become  the  scenes  of  the  con- 
21 


322 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


troversy — the  spirit  of  contention  prevailed  disastrously, 
and  afforded  more  permanent  and  more  fertile  fields  for 
the  schism  which  had  begun  but  was  now  expiring  in 
New  England.  The  "  Northern  Independent  "  became 
at  last  the  organ  of  extreme  opinions  ;  and  the  organ  of 
the  seceders,  formerly  transferred  from  Boston  to  New 
York  city,  was  removed  from  the  latter  to  the  interior  of 
New  York,  and  became  the  intimate  and  co-working 
neighbor  of  the  "  Independent."  The  interior  and  west- 
ern Conferences  of  the  state  were  shaken,  if  not  to  some 
extent  shattered,  by  the  collisions  of  parties.  Dr.  Bangs 
entered  into  these  agitations  with  his  usual  energy,  some- 
times in  the  journals  of  the  Church,  and  sometimes  in 
speeches.  The  controversy  continued  to  extend,  and 
grave  ecclesiastical  questions  arose  in  connection  with  it 
which  again  excited  New  England.  The  denomination 
was  rent  asunder  in  1844;  an  event  which  Webster, 
Clay,  and  other  senators  pronounced  the  probable  omen 
of  national  disaster  if  not  of  national  disruption.  Dr. 
Bangs  was  destined  to  live  to  see  the  latter  calamity 
with  its  attendant  horrors  of  civil  war,  and  such  a  civil 
war  as  the  world  had  never  seen  before  within  the  range 
of  recorded  history.  Antislavery  and  patriotic  to  the 
last,  he  shrunk  not  before  the  coming  storm ;  he  con- 
tinued to  write,  not  only  for  the  Church,  but  for  the 
slave ;  he  published,  as  we  shall  see,  a  volume  in  behalf 
of  the  latter.  He  seldom  paused  to  ask  which  party 
was  to  blame  for  the  terrible  issues  of  the  long  and  vio- 
lent contest,  if  indeed  he  supposed  either  party  to  be 
responsible  for  them,  or  that  they  could  possibly  have 
been  averted  after  the  profound  degeneration  of  the  South 
by  slavery.  He  died  believing  that  God  had  at  last  taken 
the  problem  into  his  own  almighty  hand,  and  thrusting 
aside  nearly  all  the  original  party  leaders,  would  work 
out  its  solution  Avith  such  retributions,  on  Church  and 
State,  North  and  South,  as  should  astonish  all  the  civil- 
ized world,  and  rebuke  alike  the  truculence  and  coward- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


323 


ice  of  men.  We  shall  hereafter  have  occasion  to  notice 
his  maturest  views  of  the  great  question.  This  rapid 
glance  at  the  general  scope  of  the  controversy  must  here 
suffice.  The  time  has  not  yet  come  for  the  impartial 
judgment  of  history  on  its  more  personal  and  more 
painful  details.  Whatever  that  judgment,  however,  may 
finally  be,  it  will  admit  that  such  men  as  Hedding,  Fisk, 
and  Bangs  were  sound  in  the  antislavery  sentiments  of 
the  fathers  of  the  Church  and  of  the  republic ;  that  if 
they  erred  in  respect  to  practical  methods  of  rendering 
those  sentiments  effective,  their  error  was  the  result  of  a 
sincere  devotion  to  the  unity  and  peace  of  the  Church 
and  the  State.  History  will  probably  show  that  the 
leaders  on  both  sides  were  nearly,  if  not  quite  identical 
in  their  essential  opinions  on  slavery,  and  that  their 
mutual  hostilities,  resulting  in  such  lamentable  strifes  and 
follies,  were  the  consequences  of  their  common  infirmities. 

MISSIONARY  LABORS  SICKNESS. 

Signally  acquitted  of  the  charges  brought  against  him, 
before  his  own  Conference,  in  1838,Dr.  Bangs  continued 
his  labors  as  Missionary  Secretary.  Accompanied  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Seyes,  who  had  just  returned  from  Africa,  he 
passed  rapidly  through  the  Eastern  States,  pleading  for 
the  cause  before  their  Conferences  and  the  congrega- 
tions of  their  principal  cities,  as  far  as  Augusta,  Me. 
The  next  year  he  pursued  his  beneficent  errand  west- 
ward, crossing  the  Alleghanies,  and  attending  the  Pitts- 
burgh Conference.  In  every  place,  where  an  oppor- 
tunity occurred,  he  presented  the  claims  of  the  Mission- 
ary Society.  After  a  long  absence  he  returned  to  New 
York,  so  exhausted  that  he  was  seized  with  a  dangerous 
fever.  "  Dr.  Reese,"  he  writes,  "was  much  alarmed,  but 
by  bleeding,  calomel,  and  emetics  he  subdued  the  fever, 
and  then,  by  the  use  of  quinine,  prevented  its  return. 
When  it  left  me,  which  was  on  the  seventh  day  of  the 
attack,  I  was  so  reduced  that  I  could  scarcely  speak ; 


324 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


but,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  I  soon  began  to  regain  my 
strength,  and  am  now  (Sept.  16,  1839)  able  to  walk  the 
streets  and  attend  to  some  business.  During  the  severity 
of  the  attack  my  mind  has  been  free  from  all  anxiety ; 
such  a  sense  of  the  goodness  of  God  has  rested  upon  me 
as  to  remove  all  fearful  apprehensions,  whether  for  life 
or  for  death.  How  unspeakably  precious,  at  such  a 
time,  is  the  religion  of  Christ !  It  seemed  that  I  beheld 
the  reflected  rays  of  the  Divine  glory  shining  from  the 
face  of  Christ,  dispelling  every  cloud,  and  brightening 
the  heavenly  world  as  the  future  residence  of  the  saints. 
I  desire  here  to  record  my  gratitude  to  God  for  such 
manifestations  of  his  grace  to  my  soul,  and  for  blessing 
the  means  used  for  my  recovery.  Though  I  felt  no 
fear,  in  the  extremity  of  my  sufferings,  nor  any  anxiety 
respecting  the  future,  yet  when  I  began  to  improve  I 
felt  the  love  of  life  return  gradually,  and  a  grateful 
desire  yet  to  live  and  labor  for  humanity  with  my  re- 
newed strength.  How  admirable  is  this  instinct  of 
nature,  this  law  of  Providence  !  Did  we  not  naturally 
cling  to  life,  who  would  endure  its  sufferings,  its  toils, 
its  disappointments  ?  This  love  of  life  is  one  of  the 
wisest  and  most  beneficent  provisions  of  our  Creator,, 
as  the  means  of  heightening  the  pleasures  of  social  and 
individual  existence,  of  perpetuating  the  struggling  race, 
of  inducing  man  to  make  a  suitable  provision  for  his  sus- 
tenance and  comfort.  Hence  I  am  pained  to  hear  Chris- 
tians talk  of  their  contempt  of  life — of  the  world  and  its 
blessings.  These  are  all  the  gifts  of  our  heavenly  Fa- 
ther, and  are  to  be  used,  not  abused,  in  his  service;  and 
the  love  of  life  is  to  be  cherished  and  employed  so  that 
we  may  answer  the  great  end  of  our  existence  in  the 
longest  and  best  possible  term  of  probation." 

LITERARY  LABORS. 

He  was  soon  again  abroad  for  his  favorite  mission 
work,  visiting  the  large  cities,  consulting  with  cabinet 


NATHAN  BANGS,  P.p. 


326 


officers  Washington  in  behalf  of  the  Indian  tribes, 
and  meanwhile  conducting  a  laborious  official  corre- 
spondence. He  could  not  altogether  abandon  his  old 
studious  habits.  His  pen  was  busily  employed,  during 
these  years,  in  writing  articles  for  the  periodicals  of  the 
Church  on  missions,  on  the  antislavery  controversy, 
and  on  more  general  topics.  Over  the  signature  of 
"  Ecclesia,"  he  published  a  series  of  essays  in  tins 
Christian  Advocate  —  an  elaborate  discussion  of  the 
polity  of  the  apostolic  Church  and  the  scriptural  va- 
lidity of  the  government  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Not  a  little  patristic  learning  is  displayed  in 
these  papers,  and  they  are  replete  with  that  robust, 
practical  sense  which  characterized  all  his  opinions. 
The}'  were  afterward  issued  in  a  volume,  bearing  the 
title  of  "An  Original  Church  of  Christ." 

In  snatches  of  leisure,  during  these  four  years — even- 
ing hours  or  days  of  travel,  or  of  occasional  rest — he 
was  busy,  reading  or  meditating  the  materials  for  his 
"  History  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church."  He  had 
labored  upon  this  work  about  twelve  years,  and  had 
brought  the  narrative  down  to  the  year  1810,  when  his 
•manuscript  was  consumed  in  the  fire  which  destroyed 
the  Book  Concern.  No  one  but  an  author  who  has  suf- 
fered a  similar  calamity  can  fully  appreciate  it.  In  the 
collection  of  materials,  the  study  and  collocation  of  books, 
pamphlets,  periodicals,  manuscripts,  the  clearing  up  of 
obscurities,  the  solution  of  apparent  contradictions,  the 
grouping  of  events,  the  portraiture  of  characters,  the 
very  labor  of  style,  of  individual  phrases,  there  is,  with 
much  drudgery,  no  little  pleasure.  Much  of  the  zest  of 
original  discovery  attends  the  task.  Its  labor  is  over 
before  it  can  well  be  estimated,  and  is  then  crowned 
with  the  joyous  sense  of  a  succ  essful  achievement.  But 
the  studious  worker  then  also,  feels  that,  had  he  fully 
anticipated  the  difficulties  through  which  he  has  happily 
wrought  his  way,  his  courage  must  have  failed  and  his 


326 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


task  never  have  been  begun.  The  necessity  of  repeating 
it,  with  such  a  knowledge  of  its  difficulties,  though  con- 
quered difficulties,  is  perhaps  the  most  repugnant,  the 
most  formidable  trial  that  can  depress  a  literary  man. 
Dr.  Bangs's  courage  was,  however,  equal  to  this  exi- 
gency— the  loss  of  a  record  extending  over  forty-four 
years,  considerably  more  than  half  of  the  chronological 
range  of  his  four  volumes.  His  strong  love  of  the 
Church,  the  conviction  that  his  long  personal  relation  to 
its  history  afforded  him  peculiar  facilities,  and  imposed 
upon  him  peculiar  responsibility  for  the  task,  constrained 
him  to  resume  it.  At  the  preceding  General  Conference 
he  was  authorized,  by  express  vote,  to  use  its  manuscript 
documents,  and  he  was  now  hard  at  work  upon  them, 
laying  a  much  broader  basis  for  his  History  than  he  had 
originally  designed.  It  was  the  toil  and,  in  no  small 
degree,  the  pleasure  of  years.  "I  find,"  he  writes, 
"great  difficulties,  but  also  great  satisfaction,  in  thus 
tracing  this  widening  stream  of  evangelical  truth  from 
its  small  beginning  in  17G6.  What  has  God  wrought 
by  Methodism  in  this  country  since  that  time!"  The 
first  volume  Avas  published  in  1838. 

CENTENARY  OF  METnODISM. 

In  1839  was  celebrated  the  hundredth  anniversary 
of  Methodism.  Dr.  Bangs  was  active  in  promoting 
the  plans  of  this  great  commemoration  in  America. 
The  English  Methodists  appointed  the  25th  of  October 
as  a  day  of  festive  religious  observance  throughout 
their  Churches  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  Pecuniary 
contributions  for  certain  great  interests  of  the  Church 
were  called  for,  and  the  call  was  answered  by  a 
liberality  never  before  equaled  in  any  one  instance 
in  their  history,  if,  indeed,  in  the  history  of  any 
other  Christian  body.  The  Wcsleyans  gave  one  million 
and  eighty  thousand  dollars.  The  American  Methodists 
gave  six  hundred  thousand.    The  latter  had  for  years 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


327 


been  expending  extraordinary  sums  in  providing  their 
new  states  with  churches,  colleges,  and  academies.  If 
they  had  more  wealth,  they  had  also  vastly  more  ex-  • 
penses  than  their  English  brethren,  and  their  centenary 
donations  were  considered  liberal.  "A  very  general  pul- 
sation," writes  Dr.  Bangs,  "  was  felt  throughout  the  en- 
tire Methodist  community  in  favor  of  the  celebration, 
and  the  several  Annual  Conferences  adopted  measures  for 
its  observance  on  the  day  appointed.  As  nearly  as  can 
be  ascertained,  the  amount  collected  was  divided  as  fol- 
lows :  About  one  half  was  to  be  devoted  for  the  benefit 
of  superannuated  preachers,  the  widows,  children,  and 
orphans  of  preachers  ;  two-tenths  for  the  support  of  mis- 
sions ;  and  the  remainder  for  the  promotion  of  education. 
The  manner  in  which  the  celebration  was  conducted  had 
a  hallowing  influence  upon  the  Church  generally,  and 
tended  very  much  to  increase  the  spirit  of  devotion. 
Sermons  were  preached  and  addresses  delivered  in  al- 
most every  society  throughout  the  connection,  both  on 
the  25th  of  October,  the  day  on  which  the  foundation  of 
Methodism  was  laid  by  forming  the  first  class,  and  on 
previous  days  for  the  purpose  of  taking  up  collections 
for  the  objects  specified.  It  was  indeed  a  sublime  spec- 
tacle to  contemplate  the  assemblage  of  more  than  one 
million  of  people,  joined  by  perhaps  three  times  that 
number  of  friends,  uniting  to  offer  up  thanksgiving  to 
God.  It  gave  us  an  opportunity  of  reviewing  first 
principles,  of  estimating  anew  the  blessings  bestowed 
upon  us  as  a  people,  of  praising  God  for  the  past, 
and  of  clustering  together  motives  for  future  trust  and 
diligence." 

On  the  25th  of  October  Methodists  throughout  the 
earth  met  in  their  temples  to  thank  God  for  his  blessings 
upon  the  first  great  cycle  of  their  history.  Signal  indeed 
had  been  those  blessings.  Wesley  died  in  1791,  at  the 
head  of  a  host  of  550  itinerant  preachers,  and,  140,000 
communicants  in  the  United  Kingdom,  the  British  Prov- 


328 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


inces,  hi  the  United  States,  and  the  West  Indies;  at  th« 
centenary,  less  than  half  a  century  later,  the  denomina- 
+  tion  had  grown  to  more  than  1,171,000,  including  about 
5,200  itinerant  preachers,  in  the  Wesleyan  and  Methodist 
Episcopal  Churches  ;  and,  comprising  the  various  bodies 
bearing  the  name  of  Methodists,  to  an  army  of  more 
than  1,400,000,  of  whom  6,080  were  itinerant  preachers. 
Its  missionaries,  accredited  members  of  different  Confer- 
ences, were  about  three  hundred  and  fifty,  with  nearly 
an  equal  number  of  salaried,  and  about  three  thousand 
unpaid  assistants.  They  occupied  about  three  hundred 
stations,  each  station  being  the  head  of  a  circuit.  They 
were  laboring  in  Sweden,  Germany,  France,  Cadiz,  Gib- 
raltar, Malta,  Western  and  Southern  Africa,  Ceylon, 
Continental  India,  New  South  Wales,  Van  Dieman's 
Land,  New  Zealand,  Tonga,  Habai  Islands,  Vavou  Isl- 
ands, Fiji  Islands,  the  West  Indies.  They  had  under  in- 
struction in  their  mission  schools  about  fifty  thousand 
pupils,  and  in  their  mission  Churches  were  more  than 
seventy  thousand  communicants.  At  least  two  hundred 
thousand  persons  heard  the  Gospel  regularly  in  their 
mission  chapels.  The  Methodist  missionaries  were  now 
more  numerous  than  the  whole  Wesleyan  ministry,  as 
enrolled  on  the  Minutes  of  Wesley's  last  Conference,  and 
their  missionary  communicants  were  about  equal  to  the 
whole  number  of  Methodists  in  Europe  at  that  day. 
Wesley  presided  over  Methodism  during  its  first  half 
century  and  two  years  more;  during  the  remainder  of 
the  century  it  reproduced,  in  its  missions  alone,  the 
whole  numerical  force  of  its  first  half  century.* 

SUCCESS-  OF  THU  MISSIONARY  SECRETARYSHIP. 

At  the  conclusion  of  Dr.  Bangs's  present  quadrennial 
appointment  the  Church  had  reason  to  congratulate 
itself  on  his  official  success.    A  committee  of  the  Board 

*  History  of  the  Religious  Movement  of  the  Nineteenth  Century, 
called  Methodism,  vol.  iii,  p.  509. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  P.P. 


829 


of  Managers  of  the  Missionary  Society  reported  on  his 
services  in  emphatic  language.  "His  duties,"  they  said, 
"  have  been  extensive  and  arduous,  both  at  home  and 
abroad,  demonstrating  the  necessity  of  having  such  an 
officer.  In  addition  to  the  preparation  of  Annual  Re- 
ports and  other  documentary  manuscripts,  the  correspond- 
ence of  the  Society  exhibits  more  than  five  hundred 
official  letters  to  missionaries,  etc.  During  the  four  years, 
besides  the  duties  of  Corresponding  Secretary  in  the 
office  at  home,  and  the  preparation  of  multiplied  reports 
for  publication  in  the  Advocate,  he  has  traveled  in  the 
service  of  the  society  more  than  eleven  thousand  miles 
in  visiting  ten  Annual  Conferences,  some  of  them  twice 
and  thrice,  and  in  holding  missionary  meetings  in  ten  dif- 
ferent states  in  the  Union.  He  has  delivered  one  hund- 
red and  thirty-four  missionary  sermons  and  addresses  in 
various  parts  of  the  country,  and  been  directly  instru- 
mental in  this  way  of  bringing  into  the  treasury  the 
amount  of  $13,427.  How  far  his  labors  and  writings 
have  been  further  tributary  to  the  increase  of  our  funds  we 
have  no  data  upon  which  to  make  the  estimate.  We  in- 
vite attention,  however,  to  the  increased  contributions  to 
our  treasury  since  his  appointment,  as  affording  evidence 
that  the  cause  is  improving  annually  under  the  present 
system  of  operations.  During  the  first  year  of  his 
appointment  the  receipts  were  $62,749;  the  second, 
$90,105  36  ;  the  third,  135,521  94  ;  and  this,  too,  not- 
withstanding the  unprecedented  prostration  of  the  times. 
The  amount  of  the  fourth  and  last  year  is  not  yet  ascer- 
tained, but  will  be  found  comparatively  large,  though 
less  than  the  previous  year,  because  of  the  special  efforts 
made  for  the  centenary  fund,  a  portion  of  which  is  des- 
tined to  our  treasury. 

"  From  a  review  of  the  whole  subject,  your  committee 
respectfully  submit  the  following  resolutions  to  be  com- 
municated to  the  next  General  Conference  : 

"Hesolved,  That  the  experience  of  the  last  four  years 


330 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


has  amply  confirmed  the  propriety  of  the  appointment 
of  a  Corresponding  Secretary  devoted  to  the  interests  of 
this  Society,  as  prayed  for  at  the  last  General  Conference. 

"  Hcsoh'ed,  That  this  board  bear  their  united  testimony 
to  the  diligent,  faithful,  and  successful  performance  of 
the  duties  of  the  office  by  the  present  incumbent ;  and  in 
view  of  his  long  experience  in  the  service  of  the  board, 
we  shall  rejoice  at  his  reappointment  by  the  next  Gen- 
eral Conference."  * 

*  History  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  etc.,  vol.  iv,  p.  384. 
The  following  table  shows  the  financial  growth  of  the  Society  from 
the  year  preceding  Dr.  Bangs's  appointment  to  the  session  of  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  of  1840. 

Amount  Received.  Amount  Expended. 

1836   |59,517  16  $53,865  20 

1837   62,749  01   66,536  85 

1838   90,105  36   95,110  75 

1839   135,521  94   103,664  58 

1840   116,941  90   146,498  58 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


331 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

SERVICES  IN  THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCE  OF  1840. 

The  name  of  Nathan  Bangs  headed  the  list  of  ten 
delegates  from  the  New  York  Conference  to  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  of  1840,  which  began  its  session  in  Bal- 
timore on  the  first  of  May.  Having  been  at  every 
session  from  its  organization  as  a  delegated  body,  no 
member  was  more  familiar  with  its  functions  and  order 
of  business.  His  authority  on  almost  every  important 
question  was  spontaneously  recognized  by  his  fellow- 
delegates.  It  is  a  striking  proof  of  his  parliamentary 
skill,  that  in  the  proceedings  of  a  single  morning  he  had 
occasion  to  appeal  three  times  from  the  decision  of  the 
chair  to  the  Conference  on  points  of  order,  and  was 
voted  to  be  right  in  every  instance — no  less  a  disciplina- 
rian than  Bishop  Hedding  himself  being  in  the  chair. 
His  name  appears  on  the  records  of  every  day's  proceed- 
ings for  more  than  the  first  three  weeks ;  and  there  are 
but  eight  days  in  the  whole  thirty-four  of  the  session  on 
which  it  does  not  occur  in  the  Journals.  This  activity 
was  not  in  long  and  obtrusive  speeches ;  he  seldom  or 
never  made  speeches  in  the  General  Conference,  but 
was  ever  ready  to  prompt  or  abbreviate  business  by  perti- 
nent suggestions  or  timely  motions.  As  usual  at  pre- 
ceding sessions,  his  attention  was  particularly  given  to 
the  leading  affairs  of  the  Church,  Missions,  the  Book  Con- 
cern, Sunday-schools,  Educational  Institutions,  Slavery, 
African  Colonization,  the  revision  and  more  methodical 
arrangement  of  the  Discipline,  the  relations  of  superan- 
nuated and  supernumerary  preachers,  and  the  Chartered 
Fund. 


S32 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


He  initiated  at  this  Conference  the  custom,  ever  since 
followed,  of  publishing  the  daily  proceedings  by  official 
reporters.  lie  was  chairman  of  what  may  be  considered 
the  most  important  committee  of  the  session,  tha^  on 
Slavery,  including  a  delegate  from  every  Annual  Confer- 
ence, and  such  men  as  Hamline,  Bascom,  Pierce,  (after- 
ward bishops,)  George  Peck,  Wightman,  Smith,  Power, 
Hopkins,  Spicer,  Orange  Scott — of  a  committee  on  an 
application  of  Bishop  Hedding  for  Redress  of  Grievances 
suffered  by  him  from  some  of  his  opponents  in  Annual 
Conferences,  and  also  of  the  Committee  ou  the  Chartered 
Fund.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the  committees  on 
Education,  on  African  Colonization,  and  on  a  new  and 
improved  edition  of  the  Discipline.  He  was  appointed, 
with  Drs.  Durbin,  Bascom,  Tomlinson,  Early,  and  other 
leading  men,  a  Commissioner  of  the  Church  in  behalf  of 
its  educational  interests,  and  finally  was  re-elected  Gen- 
eral Secretary  of  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church.  The  great  growth  of  the  mission- 
ary enterprise  induced  the  Conference  to  appoint  two 
additional  secretaries,  Dr.  William  Capers,  for  the  South, 
and  Dr.  E.  R.  Ames,  for  the  West. 

The  session  was  much  agitated  by  the  antislavery  con- 
troversy, but  achieved  a  great  amount  of  useful  busi- 
ness. Rev.  Robert  Newton,  representative  from  the 
Centenary  Conference  of  England,  added  much  to  its 
interest  by  his  extraordinary  eloquence.  Dr.  Bangs  had 
assisted  at  his  reception  in  New  York,  and  addressed  him 
there,  in  the  name  of  the  Church,  at  the  public  services 
of  his  leave-taking  for  home.  With  prosperity  in  all  its 
leading  enterprises  during  the  last  four  years,  the  statis- 
tics of  the  Church  showed  a  great  advance  in  its  ministry 
and  membership.  At  the  preceding  General  Conference 
it  reported  2,781  traveling  preachers,  and  650,678  com- 
municants. In  September  preceding  the  present  session 
they  amounted  to  3,296  preachers,  and  740,459  commun- 
icants, showing  an  increase  of  515  preachers,  and  89,781 


NATHAN  BANGS.  D.D. 


333 


communicants.  "  We  record  it  with  thanksgiving, 
though  we  reckon  not  our  strength  by  numbers,"  said 
the  Conference  in  its  letter  by  Dr.  Newton  to  the  Wes- 
leyan  Conference. 

ELECTED  PRESIDENT  OF  WESLEY  AN  UNIVERSITY. 

Dr.  Bangs's  services  in  the  Missionary  Secretaryship 
continued  but  about  one  year  longer.  On  the  20th  of 
January,  1841,  he  was  elected  President  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  University,  Middletown,  Connecticut,  an  appoint- 
ment which  he  always  afterward  regretted,  and  by 
which  he  made  the  greatest  self-sacrifice  of  his  life. 
He  was  content,  more  than  content,  in  his  late  posi- 
tion ;  he  was  thoroughly  acquainted  with  all  its 
duties  and  interests.  No  other  man  in  the  denomination 
was  equally  familiar  with  them.  It  identified  him  with 
a  cause  which  was  most  vital  and  most  important  in  his 
Church,  and  of  which  he  has  justly  been  called  the  father. 
For  this  reason  he  had  declined  a  former  election  to  a 
college  presidency  in  Augusta,  Ky.,  and  two  nominations 
to  the  episcopal  office.  He  doubted  his  qualification  for 
a  collegiate  chair  ;  for  though  he  had  been  an  assiduous 
student,  and  was  somewhat  acquainted  with  the  He- 
brew, Greek,  Latin,  and  French  languages,  and  compe- 
tent to  teach  the  Moral  and  Intellectual  Sciences,  he 
possessed  no  knowledge  of  collegiate  discipline,  and  was 
too  far  advanced  in  life  for  any  successful  preparation  for 
his  new  office.  But  his  predecessor,  Dr.  Olin,  had  failed 
in  health,  and  had  nominated  him  for  the  place.  The 
Faculty  of  the  University  visited  New  York,  and  urged 
upon  him  the  importance,  the  necessity  of  his  acceptance. 
He  appealed  to  his  ministerial  brethren  of  the  city,  but 
they  voted  that  it  was  his  duty  to  yield;  and  at  last,  by 
a  denial  of  his  best  predilections,  he  did  so,  in  deference 
to  the  general  command  of  the  Church.  It  is  unneces- 
sary to  delay  our  narrative  with  any  detailed  account 
of  his  services  at  Middletown.    He  found  the  institution 


33-4 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


tottering  under  debt  and  declining  in  public  patronage, 
through  the  long  vacancy  ot  its  presidential  chair.  Its 
friends  did  not  expect  of  him  any  important  services  as 
an  instructor,  but  it  was  supposed  that  his  high  denom- 
inational reputation  and  his  paternal  superintendence  of 
the  government  of  the  University  would  command  public 
confidence,  while  a  competent  Faculty  would  maintain 
its  rank  for  scholarship.  He  was  encouraged  at  first  by 
an  apparent  return  of  prosperity  to  the  institution.  In 
the  spring  of  1842  he  wrote:  "One  thing  which  has 
operated  much  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  University  has 
been  the  diminished  confidence  of  the  public  after  the 
death  of  Dr.  Fisk.  The  number  of  students  began  to 
decline,  so  that  the  Junior  class  of  this  year,  which  was 
the  Freshman  class  after  his  death,  consists  only  of 
twenty-two,  not  quite  half  the  number  of  the  Seniors  who 
were  the  Freshmen  of  the  year  previous  to  his  death, 
then  numbering  forty-six.  The  number  of  new  students 
at  the  beginning  of  the  last  term  was  thirty-six,  though 
the  Freshman  class  consists  of  only  twenty-four,  the 
remainder  having  entered  in  advanced  classes.  We 
have  also  had  six  added  to  the  Freshman  class  this  term, 
making  the  whole  number  thirty.  This,  I  am  informed, 
is  an  unusual  number  for  the  middle  of  the  year.  These 
facts  are  encouraging,  and  show  that  the  public  confi- 
dence is  returning." 

There  was  discontent,  however,  among  the  students ; 
their  president  was  himself  not  a  graduate;  they  dis- 
cussed among  themselves  the  significance  of  his  name 
on  their  diplomas ;  their  dissatisfaction  reached  him  in  a 
painful  manner,  and  he  resigned  his  office.  The  Faculty 
and  some  of  the  students  remonstrated  against  this  act, 
but  he  persisted.  The  "Joint  Board"  adopted  resolu- 
tions expressing  their  regret  at  his  resignation,  and  tend- 
ering him  thanks  for  his  services.  The  Faculty  ad- 
dressed him  a  letter  of  affectionate  farewell.  The  Alumni, 
at  their  annual  meeting  for  1842,  sent  him  a  letter  ex- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


335 


pressing  "their  sincere  regret  that  circumstances  have 
induced  him  to  resign  the  Presidency  of  their  Alma 
Mater  I"  and  a  number  of  students  united  in  a  protest 
against  the  alleged  unjustifiable  form  of  the  opposition  of 
the  malcontents. 

HE  RETURNS  TO  THE  PASTORATE. 

Dr.  Bangs  retired  from  the  University  immediately 
after  the  commencement  of  1S42.  He  had  suffered  much 
in  his  health  and  spirits  while  at  Middletown,  "and 
now,"  he  writes,  "  I  was  thrown  out  of  employment  and 
had  no  means  of  support."  The  Missionary  Society  ap- 
pointed him  to  collect  funds  for  its  treasury,  but  his  suc- 
cessor in  the  secretaryship  "violently  opposed"  this  ap- 
pointment, and  it  was  considered  not  to  be  authorized  by 
the  acts  of  the  General  Conference  respecting  the  insti- 
tution ;  he  abandoned  therefore  these  labors.  It  seemed 
hard  to  him,  in  view  of  his  arduous,  and  for  many  years 
gratuitous  services  for  the  Society,  that  a  temporary  en- 
gagement like  this,  which  could  not  fail  to  be  advan- 
tageous to  the  treasury,  should  be  so  fastidiously  criti- 
cized. As  he  had  collected  some  hundreds  of  dollars, 
the  Board  tendered  him  a  compensation ;  he  declined  to 
receive  it,  and  retired  submissively  but  sadly.  "  I  was 
again  afloat,"  he  writes,  "  upon  a  rough  sea.  My  God, 
however,  soon  provided  for  me.  A  vacancy  occurring  in 
the  Second-street  Church,  Xew  York,  I  was  appointed  to 
it,  through  the  kindness  of  Rev.  Phineas  Rice,  the  presid- 
ing elder.  He  assured  me  that  the  official  brethren  unan- 
imously wished  me  to  take  charge  of  them.  I  thankfully 
accepted.  My  family  was  still  at  Middletown,  but  I  was 
accommodated  with  comfortable  board  at  Mr.  Miller's. 
His  excellent  wife  soon  informed  me  that  she  was  one  of 
my  own  spiritual  children  ;  she  was  indeed  a  daughter 
to  me  in  the  Lord,  and  treated  me  as  a  father  in  the  Gos- 
pel. I  was  attacked  with  a  dangerous  illness,  which  dis- 
abled me  for  a  fortnight,  and  left  me  feeble  the  remain- 


336 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


der  of  the  year.  This  affliction  had  a  sanctified  effect 
upon  my  soul,  and  tended,  through  the  blessing  of 
Divine  grace,  to  lead  me  nearer  to  God  and  make  me 
more  diligent  in  preparing  for  another  world.  I  endeav- 
ored to  urge  upon  my  congregation  the  necessity  and 
privilege  of  entire  sanctification,  and  I  had  the  happiness 
of  witnessing  the  blessed  fruit  of  my  labors  in  the 
awakening  and  conversion  of  sinners,  and  the  'building 
up  of  believers  in  their  most  holy  faith.'  A  very  consid- 
erable revival  of  religion  took  place,  without  any  extra- 
ordinary effort,  other  than  preaching  plainly  and  point- 
edly, praying  earnestly  for  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  urging  upon  all  classes  the  necessity  of  holi- 
ness of  heart  and  life.  O  what  seasons  of  refreshing 
from  the  presence  of  the  Lord  did  I  experience  while 
unfolding  to  the  people  the  unbounded  love  of  God  to  a 
lost  world  !  And  how  eagerly  did  the  people  of  God  re- 
ceive the  word,  while  apparently  they  were  made  to 
rejoice  in  God  their  Saviour.  I  must  say  that  the  time 
I  spent  in  Second-street  was  the  most  happy  two 
years  I  had  enjoyed  for  the  last  thirty  years.  Though 
I  had  endeavored  to  discharge  my  multifarious  duties 
while  in  the  Book  Concern,  and  while  Corresponding 
Secretary  of  the  Missionary  Society,  yet  such  was  the 
pressure  of  those  duties,  not  to  say  burdens,  that  they 
were  often  like  a  heavy  load  upon  my  shoulders,  and 
kept  my  mind  in  a  continual  state  of  anxiety,  devising 
plans  for  the  furtherance  of  these  and  other  enterprises 
of  benevolence  in  which  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  engage. 
And  although  I  can  look  back  with  gratitude  upon  those 
busy  days  of  my  life,  and,  bating  my  many  imperfections, 
can  praise  God  for  the  many  tokens  of  his  approbation, 
yet  I  would  not  be  hired  for  any  earthly  consideration 
to  pass  through  the  same  scenes,  suffer  the  like  anx- 
ieties, and  perform  the  same  duties.  Nevertheless  I 
cannot  but  rejoice  at  beholding  the  present  prosperous 
state  of  the  Book  Concern  and  Missionary  Society  in 


XATHAX  BAXGS,  DA). 


337 


general,  which  I  may  humbly  and  gratefully  consider 
the  result  of  my  labors  conjointly  with  my  colleagues. 
Those  who  are  now  in  that  establishment  know  but  little 
from  their  own  experience  of  the  difficulties  of  former 
days,  as  everything  almost  was  prepared  for  their  hands 
before  they  came  there. 

"These  things,  I  humbly  trust,  are  not  said  in  a  spirit 
of  vain  boasting,  but  simply  as  matters  of  fact.  While  I 
would  ascribe  honor  to  God  alone  for  all  the  good  that 
has  been  accomplished,  and  for  giving  his  people  patience 
to  bear  with  my  many  weaknesses,  I  rejoice  for  the  many 
valuable  friends  he  has  given  me,  and  for  the  confi- 
dence reposed  in  me  by  the  Church  of  my  choice.  For 
all  my  unfaithfulness,  my  numerous  infirmities  and  fail- 
ures, I  ask  pardon  of  God  and  man ;  while  I  claim  for 
myself,  through  the  abounding  grace  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus,  purity  of  motive  and  uprightness  of  intention." 

GENERAL  CONFERENCE  OF  1844. 

His  name  was  again  first  on  the  list  of  delegates 
from  the  New  York  Conference  to  the  General  Con- 
ference of  1844.  They  were  eleven,  and  included  Drs. 
Olin,  G.  Peck,  Rice,  Reed,  Sandford,  and  other  in- . 
fluential  men.  The  session  began  in  New  York  city  on 
the  first  of  May,  and  was  the  most  memorable  one  since 
the  organization  of  the  body.  It  was  to  be  the  epoch  of 
the  division  of  the  Church. 

Dr.  Bangs  was  now  nearly  sixty-six  years  of  age;  his 
health  was  broken ;  but  he  was  as  active  as  ever  in  the 
business  of  the  Conference.  In  the  forty  days  of  the  session 
there  were  but  about  teu  in  which  his  name  did  not  ap- 
pear on  the  record  of  the  Journals,  and,  as  usual,  mostly 
in  connection  with  the  great  interests  of  the  Church.  At 
no  former  session  had  there  been  abler  discussions  or 
longer  speeches ;  but  even  in  the  absorbing  controversy 
which  now  issued  in  the  division  of  the  denomination,  he 
never  obtruded  a  formal  speech,  or  any  remarks  requir- 


838 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


ing  ten  minutes  of  the  time  of  the  Conference.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  Committees  on  Missions,  on  the  Sabbath, 
on  the  Memoir  of  Bishop  M'Kendree,  on  the  Collection 
of  Materials  for  the  History  of  the  Church,  (consisting  of 
one  member  of  each  Annual  Conference,)  and  of  the  Com- 
missioners to  settle  the  claims  of  the  southern  division  of 
the  denomination  on  its  property.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Committee  of  Nine  to  report  on  the  remonstrance  of 
the  southern  delegates  against  the  proceedings  of  the 
Conference  in  the  case  of  Bishop  Andrew — of  the  Com- 
mittees on  Slavery,  on  Reporting  and  Publishing  the 
Doings  of  the  Session,  on  Estimating  the  Expenses  of 
Editors  and  Book  Agents,  and  on  a  Revised  Edition 
of  the  Discipline. 

His  votes  on  the  slavery  questions,  which  arose  in  con- 
nection with  the  case  of  Bishop  Andrew,  were  against 
the  South,  except  so  far  as  what  he  deemed  an  equitable 
division  of  the  denominational  property  with  that  por- 
tion of  the  Church  should  be  made  in  the  event  of  a 
formal  division  of  the  denomination.  He  voted  also  for 
the  repeal  of  the  Act  of  the  preceding  session  against 
the  testimony  of  colored  people  in  Church  trials.  It 
would  be  impossible  here  to  narrate  adequately  the  his- 
tory of  the  slavery  controversy  as  it  culminated  in  this 
Conference  ;  it  belongs  to  the  history  of  the  Church 
rather  than  to  a  biographical  record,  like  the  present 
volume.  Dr.  Bangs  had  witnessed  the  organization  of 
the  first  delegated  General  Conference ;  he  now  saw  it 
rent  asunder,  the  South  from  the  North.  While 
maintaining  his  habitual  conservatism,  and  conceding 
every  equitable  claim  of  the  South,  he  was  equally  faith- 
ful to  his  antislavery  convictions.  "  I  am  as  liable,"  he 
•wrote  soon  after  the  session,  "  as  any  man  to  be  led 
astray  by  the  influence  of  strong  prejudices;  but  such  has 
been  the  goodness  of  God  that  his  grace  has  kept  my  mind 
in  peace  amid  the  war  of  words,  and  I  have  an  inward 
satisfaction  in  reflecting  on  the  course  I  have  pursued." 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


339 


CONDITION'  OP  THE  CHURCH. 

The  condition  of  the  denomination,  aside  from  this 
conflict,  was  most  gratifying  to  him.  The  bishops  could 
say,  in  their  Address  to  the  Conference,  that  "  no  period 
of  our  denominational  existence  has  been  more  signally 
distinguished  by  great  and  extensive  revivals  of  religion 
and  the  increase  of  the  Church  than  the  last  four  years. 
Our  missions  in  general  are  in  a  prosperous  condition,  and 
some  of  them  have  been  distinguished  by  extraordinary 
success."  The  Church  comprised  more  than  1,170,000 
members,  and  more  than  4,600  traveling  jireachers  ;  it 
had  gained,  since  the  last  General  Conference,  430,897 
members  and  1,325  preachers,  an  average  of  107,724 
members  and  331  preachers  per  year.  Thus,  in  the  hour 
of  its  most  gigantic  strength  and  capacity  for  usefulness, 
when  its  arms  could  be  outstretched  to  the  ends  of  the 
world  with  the  blessings  of  the  Gospel  of  peace,  was  the 
mighty  Colossus  broken  in  twain.  Both  North  and  South 
had  shared  in  the  guilty  responsibility  of  slavery ;  all 
parties  had  grievously  erred,  in  measures,  in  temper, 
and  in  language ;  all  were  destined  to  sufl'er  a  righteous 
retribution.  Had  the  division  of  the  Church  restored  its 
tranquillity,  the  disaster,  though  inexpressibly  mournful, 
might  have  been  tolerable ;  but  it  was  followed  with  ex- 
asperation and  disputes,  with  "confusion  worse  con- 
founded." The  religious,  the  strongest  ties  between  the 
North  and  South  being  broken,  (for  soon  the  desolat- 
ing fracture  rent  all  the  leading  denominations  of  the 
land,)  the  national  mind  swung  loose  from  its  moor- 
ings; in  a  few  years  war  broke  out ;  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  lives,  hundreds  of  millions  of  money  were  sacri- 
ficed ;  the  Republic  bowed  its  head,  humiliated  to  the 
dust,  before  the  civilized  world.  The  atrocious  purpose 
of  founding  a  nationality  on  the  basis  of  human  slavery 
was  audaciously  announced  by  the  utterly  corrupted 
South.    Foreign  nations,  jealous  of  the  greatness  of  tho 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


country,  and  wishing  its  overthrow,  gave  moral  support 
to  the  rebellion  in  spite  of  their  holiest  traditions  against 
slavery,  and  fear  and  trembling  fell  upon  all  the  land 
amid  the  confusion  of  its  counsels  and  the  din  of  war. 

In  northern  Methodism  itself  the  controversy,  taking 
new  phases,  chiefly  of  an  ecclesiastical  complexion,  entailed 
further  discords.  Dr.  Bangs,  now  venerable  with  years 
and  hardly-paralleled  services  to  the  Church,  became  the 
victim  of  severe  attacks.  He  has  left  hi  his  manuscript 
touching  reflections  on  the  treatment  he  had  to  endure, 
especially  from  the  Church  paper  which  he  had  helped 
to  found,  and  of  which  he  was  the  first  official  editor, 
in  which  he  says  he  was  held  up  to  the  ridicule  of  his 
brethren.  I  forbear  to  cite  these  remarks  ;  they  had  bet- 
ter, with  so  many  other  grievances  of  the  times,  be  com- 
mitted to  oblivion,  or  to  the  historian  who,  at  some  fu- 
ture and  more  tranquil  period,  may  be  able  impartially 
to  discuss  them.  This  passing  allusion  must  suffice  here. 
Mourning  for  the  desolations  which  were  coming,  more 
even  than  for  those  which  had  already  come,  he  retired, 
after  some  unavailing  efforts  of  his  pen,  more  and  more 
from  the  raging  storm,  devoting  his  attention  chiefly  to 
his  own  spiritual  culture  and  the  moral  improvement  of 
the  Church.  He  hoped  that  the  time  for  his  admission  to 
that  "rest  which  remaineth  for  the  people  of  God"  was  not 
very  far  off,  and  during  the  remainder  of  his  life  we 
shall  see  him  more  than  ever  hiding  himself  "  with  Christ 
in  God,"  meditating  the  great  themes  of  spiritual  life, 
which  have  been  the  comfort  and  strength  of  saints  in 
all  ages  of  the  Church,  and  waiting  in  gracious  patience 
for  his  deliverance  from  the  agitations  of  his  times. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


341 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

MATURE    CHRISTIAN  LIFE. 

I  find  no  record,  in  Dr.  Bangs's  manuscript,  from  the 
General  Conference  of  1844  till  May  22,  1847.  His  au- 
tobiographical sketch  ceases,  in  fact,  with  1844;  the  re- 
mainder of  the  manuscript  being  an  occasional  journal 
noting  prominent  facts  of  his  inward  or  outward  life  at  the 
times  of  their  occurrence.  He  has  now  nearly  concluded 
that  part  of  his  long  career  which,  by  its  connection  with 
the  marvelous  development  of  his  Church,  may  be  called 
historic.  With  the  exception  of  one  more  General  Con- 
ference, and  one  or  two  more  publications,  he  confines 
himself  hereafter  to  the  tranquil  labors  of  pastoral  life 
for  a  few  years,  and  then  to  the  retirement  of  a  "  super- 
annuated "  veteran.  This  portion  of  the  record  appears 
to  me,  however,  to  be  the  richest,  the  most  interesting, 
and  the  most  edifying  of  all  his  manuscript.  The  roman- 
tic incidents  and  adventures  of  his  early  itinerancy,  and 
the  historic  importance  of  his  middle  age,  have  detained 
our  attention,  with  no  little  interest  and  with  a  growing 
estimation  of  his  character  and  usefulness,  through  many 
years.  If  our  narrative  now  becomes  less  historical,  it 
becomes  more  personal  and  characteristic.  Morally  he 
seems  to  return  to  the  freshness,  the  very  bloom  of  youth- 
ful life.  A  cloud  of  affliction  occasionally  flits  across 
the  serene  sky,  but  the  prospect  shines  brighter  and 
brighter  unto  the  perfect  day.  We  enter  not  upon 
the  dreary  winter  of  a  failing  and  discontented  life,  but 
this  concluding  scene  opens  like  the  lengthening  day  and 
the  increasing  brightness  of  spring-time,  grows  into  the 
radiant  and  blooming  summer,  and  ends  in  the  rich  fruit- 
fulness  and  beauty  of  the  still  genial  autumn.  Seldom 


342 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


lias  there  been  recorded  a  more  consolatory  example  of 
happiness  in  old  age — a  more  striking  instance  of  ripen- 
ing, mellowing  Christian  character  amid  the  infirmities 
of  declining  life.  The  religions  earnestness  of  his  former 
years  rises  into  an  intense  joyousness,  a  saintliness  of 
faith  and  charity,  a  piety  which  reminds  ns  of  the  holiest 
Mystics,  but  exempt  from  their  superstitions  and  morbid 
self-consciousness ;  an  example,  in  fine,  of  that  sanctity 
of  heart  and  life,  that  healthful  and  evangelical  mysticism 
which  distinguished  Wesley,  Fletcher,  and  so  many  of 
the  early  Methodists. 

The  notes  of  this  journal  are  abundant,  though  in- 
serted often  at  considerable  intervals.  Deeply  significant 
as  expressions  of  spiritual  life,  they  would  yet  of  course 
become  monotonous  if  cited  largely.  I  shall  limit  myself 
therefore  to  but  occasional  quotations,  passing  rapidly 
over  his  remaining  years,  and  giving  only  such  passages 
as  record  actual  facts,  or  present  marked  phases  of  his 
spiritual  experience. 

PASTORAL  LIFE  AGAIN. 

Under  the  date  of  May  22,  1847,  he  writes:  "The 
New  York  Conference  of  1846  appointed  me  to  the 
Sands-street  Church,  Brooklyn.  The  two  previous  years 
I  spent  at  Greene-street  Church,  New  York,  where  I 
labored  with  much  satisfaction  to  myself,  and  enjoyed 
much  communion  with  God  and  his  people.  The  affec- 
tionate manner  in  which  I  was  received,  and  have  since 
been  treated,  by  the  brethren  in  Sands-street,  has  both 
endeared  them  to  me  and  rendered  my  stay  with  them 
delightful,  and  my  labors  in  and  out  of  the  pulpit 
pleasant  and,  I  trust,  somewhat  useful.  My  health  was 
never  better,  and  in  preaching  I  have  found  great  en- 
largement of  heart  and  liberty  of  speech,  though  some- 
times cramped  from  barrenness  of  mind  and  want  of  ready 
utterance.  This,  however,  I  have  had  to  endure  at  times 
from  the  beginning  of  my  ministry.    It  is  accompanied 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


343 


with  fear  and  trembling  whenever  I  stand  up  to  speak, 
which  makes  it  exceedingly  embarrassing,  and  often 
causes  much  mortification  from  the  reflection  of  the  im- 
perfect manner  in  which  I  have  performed  my  duty.  Is 
this  necessary  to  humble  me,  'lest,  being  lifted  up  with 
pride,  I  fall  into  the  condemnation  of  the  devil  ?' 

"  October  15,  1848.— Some  time  in  the  month  of  April 
last  I  was  compelled,  from  debility,  to  desist  from 
preaching.  I  had  attended  a  protracted  meeting  for 
about  three  months,  during  which  time  I  was  under  con- 
tinued excitement,  and  in  one  week  preached  four  even- 
ings successively,  and  the  succeeding  Sabbath  three 
times,  administered  the  Lord's  supper,  and  held  a  society 
meeting,  yet  felt  no  weariness ;  but  when  the  meeting 
closed  a  reaction  took  place  in  my  system,  and  a  throb- 
bing in  my  head,  accompanied  with  dizziness,  which  ren- 
dered it  difficult  for  me  to  walk  without  help.  This  con- 
tinued for  some  time,  until  I  was  quite  prostrated,  and 
was  confined  for  most  part  of  the  time  to  my  bed.  By 
the  blessing  of  God,  however,  on  the  means  used,  I  so 
far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  attend  the  sessions  of  the 
Xew  York  Conference.  Here  an  election  of  delegates 
to  the  General  Conference  took  place,  and  I  was  left  off 
for  the  first  time  since  1812,  which  was  the  first  dele- 
gated General  Conference  ever  held.  I  know  the  cause 
of  this  treatment.  It  was  occasioned  by  my  opposition 
to  the  course  pursued  by  the  editor  of  one  of  our  papers, 
for  which  I  rejoice  and  praise  God.  I  look  back  upon 
what  I  have  said  and  done  in  these  agitations  with  grat- 
itude. I  inwardly  rejoice  that  I  have  been  counted  wor- 
thy of  suffering  in  such  a  cause.  These  trials  have  never 
deprived  me  of  one  moment's  sleep,  nor  soured  my  spirit, 
nor  damped  my  zeal  in  the  cause  of  God. 

"At  this  Conference  I  was  reappointed  to  Sands-street, 
and  my  health  being  extremely  feeble,  the  brethren  con- 
sented that  the  bishop  should  appoint  forme  an  assistant, 
so  that  I  might  labor  only  as  my  strength  might  permit. 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


This  1  considered  a  great  favor,  for  which  I  felt  truly, 
thankful  to  God  and  his  people." 

The  illness  under  which  he  suffered  was  attended  with 
a  throbbing  of  the  left  lobe  of  the  brain  and  general 
prostration  of  his  strength.  "It  was  difficult,"  he  says, 
"  for  me  to  walk  in  the  street,  and  I  seldom  attempted 
it  without  some  one  to  assist  me.  At  last  any  noise, 
sven  of  a  footstep  on  the  floor  of  my  room,  became  pain- 
ful to  me."  By  careful  diet  he  overcame  these  symptoms, 
but  they  were  the  premonitions  of  a  constitutional  tend- 
ency to  cerebral  congestion,  which  was  to  trouble  him 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  but  which  he  controlled  by 
rigorous  temperance  and  mental  tranquillity. 

At  the  session  of  the  New  York  Conference  for  1848 
that  body  was  divided,  in  accordance  with  an  act  of  the 
General  Conference.  Notwithstanding  its  preceding 
abridgments  by  the  separation  of  the  Canadas,  the  in- 
terior of  New  York,  and  the  Troy  Conference,  its 
Churches  and  ministry  had  grown  so  much  as  to  render 
their  annual  Conference  business  burdensome,  if  not  im- 
practicable. 

Dr.  Bangs  was  appointed  to  preach  a  sermon  before 
the  session  on  the  present  division.  "  I  gave  a  suc- 
cinct history  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  Con- 
ference from  its  beginning,  in  1789,  to  the  present  time. 
This  sermon  was  published  at  the  unanimous  request  of 
the  Conference.  After  its  delivery  the  elders  were  or- 
dained, and  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  supper  adminis- 
tered." 

PUI/PIT  EMBARRASSMENT. 

In  referring  to  this  sermon  he  makes  some  interesting 
remarks  on  the  exercises  of  his  mind  "in  the  pulpit." 
"I  was  always  constitutionally  timid,  and  when  I  com- 
menced preaching  it  was  with  much  fear  and  trembling. 
This  inconvenience,  however,  gradually  subsided,  so  that 
I  could  generally  command  myself  in  the  desk.  But 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


345 


since  my  debility,  for  a  long  time,  whenever  I  entered 
the  pulpit,  such  a  tremor  came  over  my  whole  frame 
that  I  could  scarcely  stand,  and  hence  I  generally  had  a 
chair  near  me,  on  which  I  would  take  hold,  and  I  fre- 
quently stood  in  the  altar  in  preference  to  the  pulpit,  as 
in  that  position  my  nerves  were  not  so  much  affected. 
At  the  commencement  of  this  discourse  before  the  Con- 
ference I  felt  such  a  trembling  in  my  whole  frame  that 
I  could  hardly  stand,  and  as  I  had  the  sermon  written,  I 
sat  down  and  read  it ;  but  before  I  got  through  the  tre- 
mor left  me,  and  I  felt  at  perfect  liberty.  My  soul  was 
like  a  '  well-watered  garden,'  and  I  could  rejoice  in  God 
my  Saviour. 

PRESIDING  ELDER  SANCTIFICATION. 

"  I  was  now  appointed  presiding  elder  of  the  New 
York  East  District,  in  the  eastern  division  of  the  Confer- 
ence, for  which  appointment  I  felt  unfeignedly  thankful, 
as  it  gave  me  an  opportunity  of  traveling  considerably  in 
the  country,  and  in  some  measure  relieved  me  from  the 
pressure  of  pastoral  duties,  though  it  imposed  others  of 
a  higher  order.  My  health  was  still  feeble,  and  in  stand- 
ing up  to  preach  my  nervous  debility  was  such  that  it  was 
with  difficulty  that  I  could  command  myself ;  but  the 
Lord  blessed  me  in  an  unusual  degree,  and  gave  me 
great  enlargement  of  soul,  and  much  peace  and  joy  in 
the  Holy  Ghost.  At  times  I  felt  such  a  Divine  power 
rest  upon  me  that  I  was  almost  overwhelmed.  O  the 
goodness  of  God  my  heavenly  Father  ! 

"When  I  went  on  the  district  I  felt  it  my  duty  to 
urge  upon  all,  both  preachers  and  people,  the  necessity 
of  entire  sanctification  of  soul  and  body.  In  explaining 
and  enforcing  this  doctrine  I  enjoyed  great  enlarge- 
ment of  heart  and  much  divine  consolation,  and  God  has 
raised  up  a  number  of  witnesses  of  the  doctrine. 

"What  added  much  to  my  comfort  was  the  cordial 
manner  in  which  ]  was  received,  and  the  respect  with 


346 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OP 


which  I  was  treated,  both  by  preachers  and  people. 
They  treated  me  as  a  father  in  the  Gospel,  and  sought 
in  every  possible  way  to  make  my  visits  agreeable. 
God  has,  indeed,  abundantly  blessed  me  in  soul  and 
body,  so  much  so  that  my  health  has  been  so  far  restored 
that  I  now  read,  write,  preach  with  as  much  facility 
as  ever.  I  rejoice  in  all  the  great  things  the  Lord  has 
done  for  me. 

"I  believe  the  Lord  sanctified  my  soul  about  six 
months  after  he  justified  me  ;  but  I  did  not  always  re- 
tain an  evidence  of  it,  nor  live  in  its  enjoyment,  though 
whenever  I  recurred  to  it,  either  in  conversation,  prayer, 
or  preaching,  my  heart  Avas  inflamed  with  divine  love. 
About  ten  years  since  the  Lord  pressed  upon  my  heart 
the  necessity  of  regaining  this  inestimable  blessing,  and 
inspired  me  with  an  ardent  desire  and  determination  to 
seek  after  it  until  I  could  say,  O  Lord  thou  knowest  all 
things  ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee  with  all  my  heart. 
He  heard  my  prayer,  though  the  restoration  of  the  bless- 
ing was  not  in  the  manner  in  which  I  first  received  it ;  it 
was  more  gradual,  less  perceptible,  yet  equally  strong 
and  permanent.  When  I  compare  my  present  enjoy- 
ment, the  inward  tranquillity  which  pervades  my  soul, 
with  what  had  been  my  experience  for  some  years,  I  see 
the  difference.  I  cannot,  indeed,  describe  the  peace, 
the  love,  the  uninterrupted  communion  with  God,  and 
the  fellowship  with  all  God's  people  which  I  now  daily 
enjoy. 

"  I  would  not  say  that  I  have  such  a  happiness  as  ex- 
cludes all  temptations,  trials,  and  afflictions.  By  no 
means.  If  Christ,  who  was  '  holy,  harmless,  separate 
from  sin,'  was  'tempted  on  all  points,  like  as  we  are,' 
surely  we  cannot  expect  to  be  exempt  from  temptations, 
much  less  from  those  afflictions  which  are  inseparable  from 
humanity.  In  addition  to  these,  we  have  to  contend 
with  the  infirmities  which  arise  from  the  imperfection 
of  our  judgment  and  our  inability  always  to  distinguish 


NATHAN  BAXGS,  D.D. 


347 


between  truth  and  error.  All  these  things  are  sources  of 
trial.  But  'all  things,'  all  things — good  and  bad,  little 
and  great,  blessings  from  God  or  curses  from  men — 
'  shall  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God.' 

"The  firm  belief  of  this  truth  has  been  a  never-failing 
source  of  consolation  to  my  soul  even  in  seasons  of 
severe  trial  and  in  times  of  heavy  affliction,  whether  of 
body  or  mind,  and  sometimes  when  both  together  have 
pressed  upon  me.  In  such  seasons  that  gracious  promise 
has  been  presented  so  vividly  to  my  faith,  that  instantly 
the  clouds  have  dispersed,  and  the  sun  of  righteousness 
has  shone  upon  me  with  such  brightness  as  to  dispel  all 
doubt  and  fear.  At  other  times,  though  the  load  has 
not  been  immediately  removed,  yet  hope  has  sustained 
me ;  I  have  been  enabled  to  hold  fast  until  God 
appeared  for  my  deliverance.  '  I  will  never  leave  thee, 
nor  forsake  thee,'  is  a  promise  which  every  faithful  soul 
may  claim  for  himself,  under  every  trial  through  which 
he  may  be  called  to  pass,  however  severe  it  may  be. 

"April  18,  1850. — I  humbly  adore  the  God  of  love  for 
his  goodness  to  me.  My  health  has  been  so  fully  re- 
stored that  I  am  able  to  preach  with  earlier  strength, 
and  my  soid  is  strong  in  the  '  Lord  of  hosts,  and  in  the 
power  of  his  might.'  In  the  latter  part  of  the  past  win- 
ter I  attended  a  protracted  meeting  at  Mamaroneck  for 
two  weeks,  during  which  I  preached  thirteen  sermons, 
and  attended  three  general  class-meetings,  besides  the 
prayer-meetings  after  the  sermons.  These  were  seasons 
of  much  spiritual  comfort." 

By  a  happy  coincidence  he  found  his  old  fellow-laborer 
in  Canada,  his  own  father  in  the  Gospel,  Joseph  Sawyer, 
living  in  extreme  age  and  comfortable  retirement  in  this 
beautiful  town,  and  very  touching  and  consoling  were 
their  interviews.  They  worshiped  together,  as  of  old, 
in  the  temple  of  God,  and  recalled,  in  the  converse  of  the 
social  circles  of  the  place,  the  battles  and  victories  of 
their  old  frontier  fields. 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


While  in  this  village  he  was  entertained  at  the  hospit- 
able home  of  Mr.  Halsted.  At  the  breakfast  table  on  Sun- 
day morning  each  of  the  company  repeated  a  passage  from 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  after  which,  at  Dr.  Bangs's  instance, 
they  cited  each  a  stanza  from  the  Church  Hymn  Book. 
When  it  was  his  turn  to  quote  one  he  repeated  the 
words, 

"  Jesus,  thy  boundless  love  to  me 

No  thought  can  reach,  no  tongue  declare  ; 

O  knit  my  thankful  heart  to  thee, 
And  reign  without  a  rival  there: 

Thine  wholly,  thine  alone,  I  am ; 

Be  thou  alone  my  constant  flame." 

His  face  became  radiant,  his  utterance  broken  with 
emotion;  "a  halo  of  Divine  glory"  seemed  to  surround 
the  circle,  as  he  afterward  said ;  he  "  could  neither  speak 
nor  eat,"  but  retired  from  the  table  rehearsing  the  words 
of  the  poet : 

"A  solemn  reverence  checks  our  songs, 
And  praise  sits  silent  on  our  tongues." 

A  love-feast  and  the  Lord's  supper  were  held  that  day 
in  the  village  Church.  In  giving  out  the  first  hymn  at 
the  former  "I  was  so  overwhelmed  with  a  sense  of 
the  presence  of  God,"  he  says,  "  that  it  was  with  the 
utmost  difficulty  I  could  read,  and  when  we  kneeled 
in  prayer  I  could  utter  but  a  word  or  two.  I  called  on 
my  old  friend,  Mr.  Sawyer,  to  pray,  which  he  did.  I 
then  endeavored  to  relate  my  experience  of  the  goodness 
of  God ;  a  powerful  emotion  ran  over  the  assembly,  and 
we  had  a  time  of  'refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord.'  We  had,  indeed,  one  of  the  most  joyful  seasons 
I  have  seen  and  felt  for  a  long  time.  O  what  a  sweet 
and  indescribable  union  I  felt  with  God's  own  people, 
and  more  especially  with  those  who  enjoyed  the  sancti- 
fying influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit !    The  world  may  call 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


349 


this  foolishness  or  enthusiasm;  but  I  call  it  the  holy  com- 
munion of  saints,  the  'fellowship  of  kindred  spirits.' 

"  I  often  wonder,  in  view  of  my  past  unfaithfulness 
and  present  un worthiness,  how  it  is  that  God  condescends 
to  bless  me  so  abundantly  !  The  explanation  is  found  in 
the  language  of  St.  John,  '  God  is  love,'  otherwise  ex- 
pressed by  the  psalmist,  '  For  he  is  good;  for  his  mercy 
eudureth  forever;'  therefore  we  are  called  upon  to  'give 
thanks  unto  his  name.'  And  surely,  of  all  beings  upon 
the  earth,  I  have  the  greatest  reason  to  praise  him,  and 
give  thanks  to  his  name.  The  methods  he  has  taken  to 
save  me  by  leading  me  in  a  way  I  had  not  known,  by 
subduing  my  will,  by  disappointing  me  in  my  early  expect- 
ations, mortifying  my  natural  ambition,  and  by  sending 
his  Holy  Spirit  to  seek  me  in  the  wilderness,  and  finally 
by  shedding  abroad  his  love  In  my  heart,  saving  me  from 
sin,  delivering  me  in  the  hour  of  temptation,  and  giving 
me  favor  in  the  eyes  of  his  people,  are  all  instances  of 
his  loving-kindness.  He  keeps  me  in  perfect  peace.  To 
God  be  all  the  glory  for  every  blessing  I  enjoy !" 

It  was  about  this  time  that  he  wrote  for  the  Christian 
Advocate  the  articles  which  afterward  composed  his 
volume  on  "  The  Present  State,  Prospects,  etc.,  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church."  They  glowed  with  the 
freshness  and  hopefulness  of  his  present  fervent  spirit 
of  piety.  Tracing  the  extraordinary  progress  of  the 
Church,  not  only  in  its  numerical  growth,  but  in  its  prac- 
tical schemes  of  charity  and  evangelization,  and  the 
extending  revivals  of  pure  religion  in  many  parts  of  the 
world,  lie  concludes  that  Christianity  never  had  better 
prospects.  In  his  journal  he  refers  to  doubts  expressed 
by  some  of  his  friends  respecting  his  sanguine  views. 
He  says,  "  I  know  that  some  of  my  brethren  differ  from 
me  in  respect  to  the  present  state  of  pure  and  nndefiled 
religion ;  but  I  am  fully  convinced,  from  as  impartial  a  sur- 
vey as  I  have  been  able  to  take,  that  there  never  has  been 
since  primitive  times,  nor  was  there  even  then,  so  much 


350 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


pure  religion  in  the  world  as  there  is  at  the  present  time  ; 
and  surely  the  world  was  never  in  such  a  favorable 
condition  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel.  This,  I  think,  I 
have  abundantly  proved  in  the  articles  to  which  I  have 
referred. 

"  May  2. — This  is  my  birthday.  I  have  lived  sev- 
enty-two years  a  monument  of  God's  mercy.  I  de- 
sire to  record  my  gratitude  to  him  for  all  the  way  in 
which  he  has  led  me,  for  lifting  up  my  head  in  the  hour 
of  affliction,  for  strengthening  my  heart  in  the  time  of 
weakness,  for  supplying  my  wants  in  the  time  of  need, 
and  for  permitting  me  to  live  so  many  years.  O  that 
the  remainder  of  my  days  may  be  exclusively  devoted  to 
him!    I  think  I  can  adopt  the  language  of  the  poet: 

'  Now,  my  God,  thine  own  I  am ; 

Now  I  give  thee  back  thine  own; 
Freedom,  friends,  and  health,  and  fame, 

I  consecrate  to  thee  alone  ! 
Thine  I  live,  thrice  happy  I ! 
Happier  still  if  thine  I  die.' 

MRS.  PALMER 

"  May  3. — I  have  just  returned  from  Carbondale,  Pa., 
where  I  was  invited  to  dedicate  a  church  to  the  service 
of  Almighty  God.  I  was  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Palmer, 
who  was  also  invited  by  the  brethren,  with  whom  she 
had  some  time  last  year  formed  an  acquaintance,  and 
had  been  made  instrumental  of  promoting  the  work  of 
God  among  them.  And  here  I  feel  it  a  duty  to  record 
my  belief  in  the  deep  devotion  and  the  intrinsic  useful- 
ness of  this  Christian  woman.  The  prejudices  which 
have  existed  against  her  have  arisen  chiefly  from  mis- 
apprehension of  her  opinions.  I  have  known  her  from 
her  childhood,  for  she  was  a  member  of  my  catechetical 
class  in  1817,  when  she  was  only  eight  or  nine  years  of 
age.  She  was  made  a  partaker  of  pardoning  mercy  at 
an  early  age,  married  soon  after,  and  lived  a  pious  and 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


851 


blameless  life  for  several  years,  when  (about  thirteen 
years  since)  she  was  enabled  to  rejoice  in  God's  sanctifying 
grace.  She  felt  it  her  duty,  as  every  devoted  Christian 
ought  and,  I  cannot  doubt,  does  feel  it  to  be,  to  strive 
in  every  scriptural  way  to  promote  this  unspeakable 
blessing  among  her  fellow-Christians,  and  she  has  been 
remarkably  successful.  Many  have  been  raised  up  under 
her  teachings  and  prayers  as  witnesses  of  the  saving 
efficacy  of  Christ's  blood  and  righteousness  to  save 
them  from  all  sin.  And  why  should  any  one  oppose 
another,  even  though  a  female,  so  eminently  owned  by 
the  Head  of  the  Church  in  the  conversion  of  sinners  and 
in  the  sanctification  of  believers  ?  For  my  part  I  dare 
not.  I  cannot  but  rejoice  in  whatever  instrumentality 
God  shall  use  for  the  salvation  of  souls.  And  I  have 
abundant  reason  to  believe  that  this  devoted  woman  has 
been  thus  used  of  God  as  an  instrument  of  good  to 
others.  She  possesses  the  happy  art  of  winning  their 
confidence,  and  of  pointing  them  directly  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  for  life  and  salvation. 

"  Some  object  to  her  phraseology.  I  do  not  pledge 
myself  to  the  correctness  of  every  word  she  may  utter 
any  more  than  I  can  expect  every  other  person  to  agree 
with  me  in  all  my  words  and  phrases.  But  why  should  I 
dispute  about  words  so  long  as  the  substance  is  retained  ? 
I  care  not  by  what  name  this  great  blessing  be  desig- 
nated, whether  holiness,  sanctification,  perfect  love,  Chris- 
tian perfection,  so  long  as  is  meant  by  it  an  entire  con- 
secration of  soul  and  body  to  God,  accompanied  with 
faith  that  he  accepts  the  sacrifice  through  the  merits  of 
Christ  alone." 

The  singular  usefulness  of  this  "  elect  lady,"  in  both 
America  and  Europe,  by  both  her  writings  and  her  person- 
al communications  to  the  Churches,  Dr.  Bangs  deemed  it 
his  duty  to  recognize;  he  pronounced  her  teachings  sub- 
stantially orthodox  and  Wesleyan,  and  in  this  opinion 
he  had  the  concurrence  of  many  of  our  best  minds  ;  he 


352 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


esteemed  her  as  a  commendable  follower  of  the  "  holy 
women  " — Mary  Fletcher,  Hester  Ann  Rogers,  Aim  Cut- 
ler, Ladies  Maxwell  and  Fitzgerald — who  gathered  about 
Wesley  as  his  correspondents  and  helpers  in  the  Gospel ; 
and  with  St.  Paul  did  he  say  to  the  Churches,  "  I  com- 
mend unto  you  Phebe  our  sister,  which  is  a  servant  of 
the  Church :  .  .  .  that  ye  receive  her  in  the  Lord,  as 
becometh  saints,  and  that  ye  assist  her  in  whatsoever 
business  she  hath  need  of  you :  for  she  hath  been  a  suc- 
corer  of  many,  and  of  myself  also."  Providentially 
placed  in  circumstances,  pecuniary  and  domestic,  which 
have  allowed  of  the  devotion  of  her  time  to  religious 
labors,  she  has  served  the  Church  with  a  diligence  and 
success  which  should  be  imitated  rather  than  criticised. 
Her  house  in  New  York  has  been  for  years  a  sanctuary, 
where  not  only  such  men  as  Olin,  Hamline,  and  Bangs 
have  found  hospitable  shelter  and  taken  sweet  counsel 
together  in  the  deep  things  of  God,  but  where  thousands 
of  earnest  minds  from  all  parts  of  the  land  have  sought 
and  found  guidance  and  consolation.  It  may  indeed  be 
doubted  whether  any  one  occasion  of  social  devotion  in 
the  great  city  has,  in  the  last  twenty  years,  had  a  more 
profound  and  wider  influence  in  favor  of  the  special  doc- 
trines of  Christian  experience,  as  taught  by  Methodism, 
than  the  crowded  weekly  assemblies  at  her  home.  At 
no  place  have  those  doctrines  been  more  thoroughly  and 
devoutly  discussed ;  and  in  these  discussions  representa- 
tives, clerical  and  lay,  of  nearly  all  evangelical  Churches, 
have  delighted  to  share.  For  years  Dr.  Bangs  acted  as 
the  virtual  president  of  these  meetings,  communicating 
to  them  the  matured  wisdom  and  receiving  through  them 
the  richest  consolations  of  his  Christian  experience.  He 
incessantly  recurs  to  them  with  delight  in  his  journals. 
The  abuse  which  fanatical  or  indiscreet  minds  have  occa- 
sionally made  of  the  doctrine  of  sanctification ;  their  per- 
verted or  cantish  phraseology,  or  monomaniacal  absorp- 
tion in  the  theme,  no  man  regretted  more  than  he ;  but 


NATHAN  BANGS,  I).D. 


35  8 


he  saw  that  such  perversions  are  made  of  the  doctrine 
of  justification  itself,  of  all  important  doctrines  ;  and  he 
deeply  mourned  that  intelligent  Christians  and  pastors 
should  find  in  the  infirmities  of  their  neighbors  apologies 
for  their  neglect  of,  if  not  opposition  to,  a  truth  so  pro- 
foundly important ;  a  truth  which,  according  to  the  earliest 
and  best  lights  of  their  Church,  is  fundamental  in  Meth- 
odism, and  expressly  enjoined  in  the  ordination  vows  of 
its  ministry. 

23 


354 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

HE  REVISITS  CANADA. 

Dr.  Bangs  was  not  elected  to  the  General  Conference 
of  1848,  as  we  have  seen.  But  that  body  honored  him 
with  an  appointment,  as  its  representative  to  the  Wes- 
leyan  Canada  Conference.  He  was  again  to  enter  the 
scene  of  his  early  itinerant  struggles  and  triumphs.  The 
interest  of  the  visit  was  greatly  enhanced  by  the  fact 
that  his  early  fellow-laborer  in  that  distant  field,  Joseph 
Sawyer,  now  about  eighty  years  old,  accompanied  him. 
A  half  a  century  had  passed  since  Sawyer  received  him 
into  the  Church  and  called  him  out  to  the  itinerancy. 
The  two  veterans,  who  had  traveled  the  frontier  wilder- 
ness in  the  vigor  of  their  youth,  now  returned  leaning 
upon  their  staves,  their  "hoary  heads"  wearing  that 
"crown  of  glory"  with  which  old  age  circles  the  brows 
of  those  who  are  "found  in  the  ways  of  righteousness." 

They  set  out  from  the  city  of  New  York  on  the  2d  of 
June,  1850.  "What  a  contrast,"  wrote  Dr.  Bangs,  "in 
the  mode  of  traveling  since  Fulton  introduced  the  use  of 
steam  to  propel  boats  through  the  water!  In  1804  I 
Avas  four  days  in  sailing  from  Rhinebeck  to  New  York, 
eighty  miles.  Now  we  sailed  from  New  York  to  Albany, 
twice  the  distance,  in  about  ten  hours!  And  then  the 
accommodations  !  Formerly  we  were  pent  up  in  a  small 
cabin,  in  which  there  was  scarcely  room  to  stand  erect, 
and  so  closely  confined  at  night  that  one  almost  suffo- 
cated with  heat  and  the  confined  foul  atmosphere.  Now 
we  can  sit  in  the  sumptuously  furnished  saloon,  or  prom- 
enade the  upper  deck,  sheltered  from  the  scorching  sun 
by  a  tight  roof  with  open  ends  and  sides  which  permit 


NATIIAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


355 


a  free  circulation  of  the  air,  and  we  can,  at  the  same 
time,  enjoy  a  view  of  the  beautiful,  and  sometimes  mag- 
nificent scenery,  particularly  while  passing  through  the 
high-lands  of  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  River.  The  day 
was  clear  and  bright,  the  atmosphere  soft  and  bland,  the 
company  polite  and  agreeable,  and  my  heart  expanded 
while  my  eyes  beheld  God's  magnificent  work,  and 
glowed  with  gratitude  to  him  for  the  rich  displays  of 
his  power,  wisdom,  and  goodness,  which  were  exhibited 
all  around  us ;  and  more  especially  for  the  wonders  of 
redeeming  love  in  the  gift  of  Jesus  Christ,  through 
whose  death  and  continual  intercession  we  are  made  par- 
takers of  all  these  blessings.  I  could  not  refrain,  indeed, 
from  adoring  him.  Thanks  be  to  the  'Author  of  every 
good  and  perfect  gift,'  for  steamboats,  the  telegraph, 
and  for  railroads,  as  well  as  for  every  other  improve- 
ment of  the  age  in  which  we  have  the  happiness  to  live  ! 

"  Finally  we  landed  safely  at  Brockville,  and  were 
met  on  the  quay  by  several  of  the  preachers,  who  were 
expecting  us,  and  were  conducted  to  our  lodgings  in  the 
hospitable  mansion  of  Mr.  Flint,  a  wealthy  brother  in 
the  Church  in  that  place,  of  whose  hospitality  we  par- 
took while  we  remained  at  the  seat  of  the  Conference. 
We  were  soon  visited  by  others,  and  among  them  was  my 
beloved  brother,  the  Rev.  William  Case,  formerly,  when 
traveling  in  Canada,  my  colleague  and  companion  in 
labor  and  suffering  in  the  cause  of  God.  Our  meeting, 
after  years  of  separation,  was  mutually  gratifying,  and 
we  passed  a  few  moments  in  recounting  the  goodness  of 
God  in  days  gone  by,  and  expressions  of  gratitude  to 
him  for  permitting  us  to  see  each  other  once  more  in  the 
land  of  the  living. 

GREAT  CHANGES. 

"When  I  first  visited  Canada,  in  1799,  we  lay  five 
nights  in  the  woods  in  traveling  through  the  country  to 
Buffalo ;  and  when  we  arrived  at  that  place  there  were 


356 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


only  two  or  three  miserable  log-huts,  in  which  some 
very  poor  people  lived,  or  rather  burrowed,  for  they 
seemed  to  live  almost  under  ground.  Now,  in  traveling 
from  New  York  to  Brockville,  a  distance  of  not  less  than 
five  hundred  miles,  we  performed  the  tour  in  about  thirty- 
one  hours,  traveling  time;  or  in  three  days,  including 
two  nights,  one  at  Albany,  and  another  at  Oswego,  and 
the  five  hours  we  were  detained  at  Syracuse. 

"Since  that  time  cities,  villages,  and  cultivated  farms, 
canals  and  railroads,  have  come  into  existence  in  those 
parts  of  the  country  which  were  then  covered  with  a 
dense  forest.  Even  in  Brockville,  when  I  traveled  in  this 
country  in  1805,  there  was  not  a  single  house,  and  it  was 
an  entire  wilderness.  Now  there  is  a  village  of  between 
three  and  four  thousand  inhabitants,  built  up  with  large 
substantial  stone  houses  and  stores,  and  everything  appears 
in  a  flourishing  state.  Religion,  pure  and  undefiled,  has 
kept  pace  with  the  progress  of  the  settlements  on  both 
sides  of  the  line  which  divides  Canada  from  the  United 
States." 

SCENES  IN  THE  CONFERENCE. 

On  Thursday  they  were  conducted  by  Mr.  Case  to  the 
Conference.  As  they  entered  the  church  the  whole  as- 
sembly rose,  greeting  them  while  they  passed  up  the 
aisle.  Their  aged  conductor  presented  them  with  much 
emotion  to  the  president,  Dr.  Richey,  who,  taking  the 
hand  of  Dr.  Bangs,  introduced  them  to  the  Conference 
with  an  address  of  welcome.  Dr.  Bangs  followed  Avith 
a  speech,  which  produced  a  profound  impression.  It  was 
some  time  before  he  could  command  his  own  feelings 
enough  to  proceed  with  it,  and  when  he  sat  down,  "  over- 
whelmed," he  says,  "  with  a  sense  of  the  goodness  of 
God  and  the  love  of  the  brethren,"  the  Conference  re- 
sponded with  universal  cheers. 

"  After  taking  my  seat,"  he  writes,  "  I  looked  around 
to  see  how  many  I  could  recognize  as  known  by  me  in 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


357 


former  days.  I  could  see  but  five  or  six,  namely,  William 
Case,  Anson  Green,  William,  John,  and  Egerton  Ryer- 
son — all  brothers — and  Robert  Corson  ;  all  the  rest  had 
been  raised  up  since  my  Canadian  days.  Death  had 
thinned  the  ranks  of  these  veterans  of  the  cross.  I  was 
reminded  more  forcibly  than  ever  of  the  mutability  of  all 
terrestrial  things,  and  that  my  own  earthly  race  must 
soon  end.  Be  it  so,  I  thought ;  when  my  heavenly  Fa- 
ther shall  have  served  himself  with  me,  according  to  his 
own  good  pleasure,  he  will  sign  my  release,  and  discharge 
me  from  service,  so  that  I  may  '  enter  into  the  joy  of  my 
Lord.'  " 

His  address  contained  some  striking  allusions  to  his 
early  life  in  Canada.    He  said : 

"  You  will  excuse  me,  sir,  if  I  advert  to  a  few  items 
in  my  personal  history  in  relation  to  the  commencement 
and  progress  of  Methodism  in  this  country.  This  was 
my  spiritual  birthplace.  It  was  here  that  I  commenced 
my  ministry  a  little  over  forty-nine  years  since,  under 
the  fostering  care  of  my  venerable  father  in  the  Gospel, 
the  Rev.  Joseph  Sawyer,  who  is  now  present  with  us, 
and  who  lives  in  a  green  old  age  to  adorn  that  Gospel 
which  he  has  preached  for  upward  of  fifty-three  years. 
I  remember  well  the  time  and  the  circumstances  under 
which  I  commenced  my  feeble  labors,  and  the  trials 
through  which  I  passed  in  those  days  of  my  childhood, 
when  the  woodman's  ax  and  the  preacher's  voice  were 
heard  almost  simultaneously  ;  when  the  hardy  pioneer  of 
Methodism  followed  the  immigrant ;  carried  provender 
on  his  horse,  tied  him  to  a  sapling  in  the  night,  because 
there  was  neither  a  barn  to  shelter  him  nor  a  pasture  to 
feed  him  ;  when  we  used  to  eat,  preach,  and  sleep  in  the 
same  room  in  the  log-hut  of  the  settler  ;  when  at  other 
times  we  held  our  meetings  in  the  groves,  in  barns,  or 
log  school-houses,  and  slept  under  the  foliage  of  the 
trees  when  night  overtook  us  in  our  travels  through  the 
wilderness. 


358 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


"At  that  time  the  Methodists  did  not  amount  to  much 
over  200,000,  all  told,  in  Europe  and  America.  Now 
they  number,  including  those  who  have  seceded  from  us, 
but  still  hold  last  our  cardinal  doctrines,  nearly  2,000,000, 
besides  the  millions  who  have  already  gone  to  glory. 
At  that  time  there  were  only  about  1,200  in  Canada. 
Now  there  are  about  25,000  belonging  to  your  body,  ex- 
clusive of  those  who  have  seceded  from  you.  And  all 
this  lias  been  accomplished  in  about  fifty  years.  Have  we 
not  abundant  cause  of  gratitude  to  God  for  his  abound- 
ing grace  toward  us  as  a  people  ? 

"  When  I  commenced  my  ministry  I  was  in  my  twenty- 
fourth  year.  I  have  now  just  entered  my  seventy-third 
year.  It  will,  therefore,  be  forty-nine  years  next  Septem- 
ber since  I  entered  the  itinerancy,  under  the  presiding 
eldership  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Jewell,  and  as  a  colleague 
with  my  esteemed  father  in  the  Gospel,  Rev.  Joseph  Saw- 
yer, on  the  Niagara  Circuit ;  and  in  the  month  of  Decem- 
ber of  the  same  year  I  was  sent  to  form  a  new  circuit  on 
what  was  then  called  Long  Point,  including  Burford,  Ox- 
ford, and  several  other  neighboring  towns  and  settle- 
ments. Here  God  gave  me  manifest  tokens  of  his  approba- 
tion by  the  conversion  of  a  number  of  sinners  as  seals  to 
my  ministry. 

"  How  has  God  enlarged  our  borders  since  that  time  ! 
There  were  then  only  about  73,000  in  the  United  States. 
Now,  including  the  North  and  the  South — lam  mortified 
to  be  compelled  to  make  this  distinction,  as  indicating 
two  separate  branches  of  the  same  Church — there  are 
upward  of  1,000,000;  and,  as  before  said,  throughout 
the  world  there  are  nearly  2,000,000. 

"  And  what  more  shall  I  say  ?  Will  you  allow  me,  sir, 
to  add  a  few  words  of  admonition  and  advice?  If  we 
would  secure  the  continuance  of  God's  blessing — the 
blessing  which  he  bestowed  upon  our  fathers  in  the  Gos- 
pel— we  must  imitate  their  spirit  and  practice.  What 
was  that  spirit?    They  were  deeply  imbued  with  the 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


359 


spirit  of  Christ.  They  commenced  with  the  spirit  of  re- 
vival. Methodism  was  begotten,  fostered,  and  grew  up 
under  the  influence  of  the  spirit  of  revival.  If,  therefore, 
Ave  would  perpetuate  its  prosperity,  we  must  cultivate 
this  same  spirit,  aiming  to  promote  it  by  every  possible 
means,  urging  ourselves  on,  and  pressing  our  people  for- 
ward after  entire  sanctification  of  soul  and  body  to  God. 
This  doctrine  of  entire  sanctification  was  that  which, 
above  all  others,  distinguished  Wesley  among  his  com- 
peers in  the  ministry,  and  has  been  the  distinguishing 
characteristic  of  Methodism  from  his  to  our  day.  If  we 
would,  therefore,  have  the  mantles  of  Wesley,  of  Asbury, 
and  of  the  many  other  fathers  in  our  Israel,  who  have 
been  carried  in  chariots  of  fire  to  heaven,  fall  on  us,  we 
must  make  their  motto  ours,  namely,  Holiness  to  the 
Lord." 

By  request  of  the  president  of  the  Conference  he  ad- 
dressed its  candidates  in  a  public  assembly,  giving  chiefly 
a  narrative  of  his  early  struggles  and  successes  in  their 
now  flourishing  fields  of  labor.  Of  course  the  dream  of 
the  shivered  rock  was  not  omitted.  He  concluded  by 
saying  :  "  Now,  my  young  brethren,  all  you  have  to  do 
is  to  smite  the  rock.  It  is  God's  work  to  split  it.  All 
you  have  to  do  is  to  preach  the  word,  and  attend  to  the 
other  duties  of  your  office.  It  is  God's  work  to  bless  the 
labor  of  your  hearts  and  hands,  and  to  give  eflect  to 
your  well-meant  efforts.  Go  on,  then,  in  the  name  of 
your  Divine  Master,  and  he  will  be  with  you  '  always, 
even  to  the  end  of  the  world.'  " 

An  afternoon  session  was  devoted  to  "conversation  on 
the  best  method  of  promoting  the  work  of  God,  and  in 
relating  religious  experience.  This  was  truly  a  spiritual 
festival,  a  '  feast  of  marrow  and  fat  things,  of  wine  on  the 
lees.'  Mr.  Sawyer  and  myself  took  part  in  this  exercise, 
in  which  several  of  the  preachers  participated  with  ap- 
parent delight.  I  cannot  but  think  that  this  mingling  of 
spirits  in  the  interchange  of  the  knowledge  of  experi- 


360 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


mental  religion,  with  the  regular  routine  of  Conference 
business,  by  breaking  in  upon  the  dull  monotony  of  dry 
discussions  and  formal  voting — such  discussions  and 
voting  as  necessarily  arise  out  of  the  questions  which 
must  be  disposed  of  in  the  course  of  things — has  a  tend- 
ency to  relieve  the  mind  of  some  of  its  burdens,  to 
soften  those  little  asperities  which  are  sometimes  excited 
in  the  conflict  of  opinions,  and,  finally,  to  promote  broth 
crly  love  and  Christian  harmony." 

Sunday  was  a  great  day  with  the  community  as  well 
as  the  Conference.  There  were  four  sermons  preached, 
besides  the  love-feast,  the  sacrament  of  the  Eucharist, 
and  the  ordination  of  preachers.  Dr.  Bangs  preached  at 
the  latter  service  a  discourse  of  remarkable  power  and 
effect,  on  Rom.  x,  14,  15.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  ser- 
mon fifteen  candidates  were  ordained  to  the  "  office  and 
work  of  the  ministry." 

The  next  day  he  visited  the  town  where  he  had  married 
his  wife,  and  was  received  by  the  remnants  of  the  house- 
hold. He  preached  in  the  village.  "Here,  again,"  he 
writes,  "  I  was  forcibly  reminded  of  the  ravages  which 
death  makes  in  the  ranks  of  the  living.  Most  of  the  old 
people  whom  I  knew  in  former  days  were  dead,  but  their 
children  had  grown  to  manhood  and  womanhood,  and 
some  of  them  came  to  me,  took  me  by  the  hand,  and  re- 
minded me  that  they  knew  me  when  I  was  at  their  fa- 
ther's house,  or  they  had  heard  me  preach  in  the  neigh- 
borhood." 

HIS  RETURN. 

He  assisted  at  the  missionary  anniversary  of  the 
Conference,  and  departed  June  12,  refreshed  by  the 
interview,  and  leaving  a  grateful  impression  upon  the 
minds  of  the  ministerial  brethren  who  were  now  the 
prosperous  successors  of  the  little  band  of  pioneers  which, 
with  his  co-operation,  had  opened  the  way  for  them  in 
these  thriving  regions.     On  his  return  lie  paused  at 


NATHAN"  BANGS,  D.D. 


361 


Toronto,  and  wrote :  "  We  put  up  with  Dr.  Ryerson, 
whose  excellent  lady  received  us  with  Christian  courtesy. 
Here,  also,  I  met  with  an  old  acquaintance,  the  mother 
of  Mrs.  Ryerson,  whom  I  knew  before  she  was  married, 
in  1802,  and  her  excellent  husband,  with  whom  I  formed 
an  acquaintance  in  1824,  and  we  were  mutually  refreshed 
in  each  other's  society.  What  a  change  has  been  effected 
in  this  place!  I  believe  I  Avas  the  first  Methodist 
preacher  that  ever  attempted  to  preach  in  Little  York — 
as  Toronto  was  then  called — and  I  preached  in  a  misera- 
ble half-finished  house,  on  a  week  evening,  to  a  few  peo- 
ple, for  there  were  not  over  a  dozen  houses  in  the  place, 
and  slept  on  the  floor  under  a  blanket.  This  was  in 
1801.  I  was  then  attempting  to  form  a  circuit  on  Yonge- 
street,  a  settlement  west  of  Toronto,  and  I  was  induced 
to  make  a  trial  in  this  new  little  village,  the  settlers  of 
which  were  as  thoughtless  and  wicked  as  the  Canaanites 
of  old.  Now  there  is  a  city  of  between  25,000  and 
30,000  inhabitants,  and  it  is  the  seat  of  government,  of  a 
university,  and  of  several  houses  of  worship,  and  the 
Methodists  have  their  full  share  of  religious  influence, 
having  their  Book  Concern  established  here,  and  like- 
wise the  '  Christian  Guardian,'  a  weekly  paper  which  is 
exerting  a  hallowed  influence  on  the  community  through- 
out the  province.  In  this  city  there  are  four  stationed 
preachers,  who  have  the  charge,  according  to  the  Min- 
utes for  1849,  of  103  Church-members,  and  I  suppose 
they  minister  to  more  than  twice  that  number  of  hearers. 
In  addition  to  these  ministers,  the  Book  Steward,  the 
editor  of  the  Christian  Guardian,  and  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Ryerson,  the  superintendent  of  schools,  a  government 
officer,  reside  here,  and  preach  as  often  as  their  other 
engagements  will  permit,  and  of  course  exert  a  favorable 
influence  on  the  interests  of  religion.  Indeed,  Methodism 
in  this  country  exerts  a  preponderating  power  on  the 
population  generally,  as  it  is  the  most  numerous  sect  in 
the  province." 


362 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


He  reached  New  York  on  the  28th,  "  praising  God  for 
all  the  manifestations  of  his  loving-kindness  toward  us 
and  our  friends.  I  humbly  trust  this  visit  has  had  its 
use,  if  to  no  one  else,  to  myself,  in  calling  forth  my  grat- 
itude to  him  for  all  the  good  that  he  has  done  and  is 
still  doing  for  the  people  in  Canada." 

THE  FEAR  OF  DEATH  CONQUERED. 

He  resumed  his  labors  as  presiding  elder,  but  not 
without  admonitions  of  the  decay  of  his  constitution. 
"I  have  been,"  he  writes,  "three  or  four  times,  within 
about  a  month  of  each  other,  suddenly  deprived  of  recol- 
lection and  almost  of  consciousness,  the  attacks  lasting,  I 
am  told,  from  five  to  ten  minutes.  The  last  came  upon  me 
while  preaching  on  Saturday  at  the  Quarterly  Meeting  at 
Roxbury,  by  which  the  sermon  was  suspended ;  and  when 
I  came  to  myself  I  found  a  brother  speaking  to  the  people. 
At  first  I  did  not  know  who  he  was,  nor  where  I  was; 
but  my  recollection  returned,  and  I  was  able  to  transact 
the  business  of  the  Quarterly  Meeting  Conference  without 
difficulty,  and  likewise  on  Sunday  morning  to  attend  the 
love-feast,  preach  with  my  usual  liberty,  and  administer 
the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  supper.  During  these  times 
I  feel  no  pain,  and  if  God  should  take  me  away  in  one 
of  these  paroxysms,  I  should,  I  think,  glide  easily  and 
swiftly  into  eternity,  and  be  forever  at  rest.  I  thank 
God  they  give  me  no  trouble  or  anxiety. 

"  Sept.  16. — I  can  now  look  upon  death  with  pleasure, 
though  I  have  been  habitually  in  bondage  to  it  most  of 
my  life,  from,  I  suppose,  a  constitutional  cause  in  part. 
I  was  told  in  early  life  that  some  time  before  my  birth 
my  mother  went  to  visit  a  sick  friend,  but  on  entering 
the  room  found  the  person  dead.  The  unexpected  sight 
struck  her  with  terror,  so  that  she  nearly  swooned  away. 
When  I  was  born  I  was  as  white  as  a  corpse,  my  hair 
was  as  white  as  snow,  and  remained  so  until  after  I  grew 
to  manhood,  and  my  countenance  presented  a  blanched 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


3G3 


appearance  also  even  until  I  was  over  twenty  years  of 
age.  I  was  moreover  always  afraid  of  death,  could  not 
bear  to  look  upon  a  dead  body,  and  this  fear  continued 
with  ine  even  after  I  experienced  religion,  a  fact  which 
sometimes  gave  me  much  trouble,  though  whenever  I 
thought  of  its  cause  I  could  account  for  it  without  at- 
tributing it  to  a  lack  of  faith  ;  for  when  I  looked  beyond 
the  grave  I  could  rejoice  in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God. 
It  was  simply  in  the  contemplation  of  death,  viewed  as 
a  mortal  dissolution,  that  it  appeared  so  appalling.  I 
have  often  prayed  to  be  delivered  from  this  slavish  fear, 
and  I  thank  God  that  he  has  heard  my  prayer." 

HIS  CATHOLICITY. 

"With  his  maturing  piety  a  catholic  sentiment  of  fel- 
lowship with  other  Christian  denominations  than  his 
own  became  more  habitual  and  ardent  with  him.  At  a 
7iieeting  of  the  Council  of  the  Christian  Alliance,  while 
the  city  pastors  were  responding  to  the  inquiry  how  far 
they  had  promoted  the  objects  of  the  society  in  their  pul- 
pits, he  replied:  "I  have  preached  on  the  subject  of  love 
and  union  among  Christians  with  great  satisfaction,  as 
this  is  a  theme  upon  which  I  delight  to  dwell.  I  have 
indeed  been  a  man  of  war  all  my  days — have  fought  the 
Calvinists,  the  Protestant  Episcopalians,  and  others,  or 
rather  have  defended  the  Methodists  when  they  have 
been  assailed  by  those  denominations,  and  I  cannot  re- 
pent of  what  I  have  thus  done,  as  I  have  acted  in  the 
fear  of  God,  and  have  not  willfully  defended  an  error, 
however  much  I  may  have  erred  in  judgment  uncon- 
sciously. I  have,  however,  long  since  laid  aside  my 
polemical  armor,  and  now  delight  chiefly  in  proclaiming 
brotherly  love."  When  he  sat  down  a  member  of  the 
council  arose  and  said  :  "  Glad  am  I  to  hear  my  brother 
Bangs  speak  as  he  has.  I  too  have  been  a  man  of  war. 
I  have  fought  him  and  he  has  fought  me,  but  now  I  feel 
like  giving  him  my  hand,"  and  reaching  out  his  hand 


364 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


Dr.  Bangs  grasped  it  heartily.  "  We  had,"  he  writes, 
"a  time  of  rejoicing  together." 

This  sympathetic  communion  with  saints  grew  into  an 
inexpressibly  tender  affectionateness  toward  all  who  love 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity.  "  I  find  uniformly 
that  in  the  same  proportion  as  the  love  of  God  increases 
in  my  heart  my  love  to  the  brethren  increases,  and  I  feel 
such  a  union  of  spirit  with  them  as  I  cannot  describe. 
This  sacred  union  is  known  by  communing  with  them  in 
conversation,  in  prayer,  and  in  interchange  of  friendly 
association,  by  which  my  spirit  is  drawn  toward  them 
in  an  irresistible  manner ;  and  I  cannot  but  think  that 
among  holy  souls  there  is  an  intuitive,  a  mystical  reunion 
of  spirit  with  spirit  which  binds  them  together  in  kin- 
dred feelings  far  surpassing  all  the  fellowship  founded  in 
worldly  ties,  or  even  in  natural  relationship.  I  feel  this 
now  in  an  unusual  degree  toward  my  Christian  friends, 
though  not  one  of  them  is  present  with  me ;  many,  of 
whom  I  think,  are  hundreds  of  miles  absent,  yet  my  spirit 
communes  with  them,  and  joyfully  anticipates  the  day 
when  we  shall  unitedly  and  with  joyful  hearts  bow 
around  the  throne  of  God  together,  and  in  a  sacred 
harmony  celebrate  the  praise  of  Him  who  hath  'washed 
us  in  his  blood  and  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God 
forever  !'  O  my  most  merciful  God,  may  it  be  so  !"  He 
Avas  at  times  apprehensive  that  he  was  "guilty  of  a 
species  of  idolatry  in  loving  some  of  his  friends  too 
much."  "  They  cling  about  my  heart  and,  perhaps,  usurp 
too  much  the  place  in  my  affections  which  belongs  only 
to  God.    Our  God  is  a  jealous  God." 

HIS  LOVK  OF  NATURE. 

With  these  ardent  affections,  apparently  freshened 
rather  than  abated  in  his  old  age,  his  enjoyment  of  natu- 
ral scenery  seemed  also  to  be  renewed.  His  journals 
abound  in  picturesque  descriptions  of  the  finer  landscapes 
lhat  adorn  portions  of  his  District,  especially  along  the 


XATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


365 


coast  of  Long  Island  Sound.  In  the  spring  of  this  year 
lie  writes  that,  "  returning  from  a  quarterly  meeting  at 
East  Chester,  I  could  not  but  be  delighted  with  the 
beautiful  landscapes  along  a  portion  of  my  route.  Some 
of  the  fruit-trees  are  in  blossom,  the  forest  trees  are 
bursting  into  foliage,  the  meadows  are  carpeted  with 
green  and  decked  with  the  earliest  flowers,  the  streams 
sing  along  their  courses,  and  the  rays  of  the  sun  stream 
through  a  transparent  atmosphere;  all  presents  a  scene  of 
surpassing  beauty  on  which  my  eye  gazed  with  exquisite 
delight,  and  I  exclaimed,  'These  are  thy  glorious  works, 
Parent  of  good  !'  '  Thou  hast  stretched  out  the  north 
over  the  empty  place,  and  hung  the  earth  upon  nothing! 
Thou  hast  not  only  made  all  things  for  the  use  of  man, 
but  hast  adorned  the  works  of  thy  hands  with  beauty  for 
the  gratification  of  his  senses,  that  he  may  be  filled  with 
delight  before  thee.' "  He  draws  an  inference  which 
once  might  have  seemed  questionable  to  some  of  his 
stricter  Methodist  brethren.  "While  observing  the 
flowers  and  blossoms  I  asked  myself,  Why  is  it  that  the 
Almighty  Maker  has  expended  so  much  skill  in  merely 
beautifying  things,  and  things  so  evanescent  as  the  flow- 
ers, which  spring  up  in  the  morning  and  perish  at  even- 
ing ?  Surely  beauty  cannot  be  displeasing  to  him ;  and 
hence  I  infer  that  it  cannot  be  wrong  to  adorn  and  beau- 
tify our  persons  and  homes."  But  he  gives  the  legiti- 
mate inference  its  necessary  qualification.  "  Nature 
herself  is  a  safe  example;  everything  is  befitting,  all 
rightly  proportioned,  all  simple  and  yet  perfect.  How 
different  the  fashionable  displays  of  men  and  women ! 
Simplicity  and  modesty  in  dress  are  its  best  beauty." 

PHYSICAL  HEALTH  AND  HABITS. 

By  adopting  a  vegetable  diet  he  found  his  health 
greatly  improved.  Notwithstanding  his  advancing  age, 
his  attacks  of  faintness  or  unconsciousness  became  much 
less  frequent,  and  his  mental  animation  much  greater. 


8G6 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


"  T  can,"  lie  writes,  "  think,  read,  pray,  and  preach  with 
much  more  freedom  than  formerly.  O  the  goodness  of 
God  to  me!"  He  was  also  careful  in  all  his  other  phys- 
ical habits.  "  I  find  it  essential  to  my  health,"  he  says, 
"  as  well  as  beneficial  to  my  spirits,  t  o  take  as  much  ex- 
ercise in  the  open  air,  in  walking  and  riding,  as  I  possibly 
can.  Hence,  whenever  I  find  my  spirits  flagging  I  lay 
down  my  pen  or  book  and  take  a  walk,  by  which  my 
mind  becomes  buoyant,  and  I  can  then  apply  myself  to 
mental  labor  with  renewed  vigor  and  satisfaction.  I 
have  also  been  in  the  habit,  for  thirty  years,  of  bathing 
myself,  whenever  convenient,  every  morning,  summer 
and  winter,  in  cold  water,  which  I  do,  when  I  have  no 
bath,  by  rubbing  my  body  from  head  to  foot  with  a  wet 
towel  and"  then  with  a  dry  one  till  I  am  warm,  after 
which  I  usually  expose  myself  to  the  open  air.  I  find 
these  means  exceedingly  refreshing  to  both  body  and 
mind.  But  while  they  tend  to  invigorate  the  physical 
and  mental  man,  the  love  of  God  filling  the  heart  gives 
me  a  tranquillity  and  comfort  far  surpassing  human  lan- 
guage to  express.    Glory  be  to  God !" 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


367 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  G AE REITS 0 N  HOMESTEAD. 

While  prosecuting  his  duties  as  presiding  elder  lie 
made  occasional  excursions  for  his  health  and  the  renewal 
of  old  Christian  ties.  In  June,  1851,  he  revisited  the 
Garrettson  homestead  at  Rhinebeck,  the  scene  of  early 
and  endeared  reminiscences.  "  My  old  friend  Freeborn 
Garrettson  has  been  dead,"  he  writes,  "about  twenty- 
four  years,  and  his  sainted  widow  took  her  departure  to 
the  world  of  bliss  about  two  years  ago,  in  her  ninety- 
sixth  year.  I  found  their  only  daughter  maintaining  the 
original  Christian  hospitality  of  the  house,  surrounded 
by  pious  domestics  and  every  comfort,  and  having  every- 
thing in  the  exactest  order  within  and  without  the  dwell- 
ing. Here  was  the  identical  old  arm-chair  in  which  my 
venerated  friend  used  to  sit  while  conversing  with  us; 
the  same  table,  around  which  we  used  to  talk  and  eat,  still 
stands  in  its  old  place  in  the  middle  of  the  room  ;  and  the 
same  old  settee  remains  in  its  place  at  one  end  of  the 
veranda,  where  we  used  to  sit  and  gaze,  with  delighted 
eyes,  over  the  lawn,  and  down  upon  the  scenery  of  the 
Hudson.  With  these  mementos  I  could  but  recall  to  mind 
the  memories  of  other  days,  in  which  I  spent  so  many 
happy  hours  with  that  patriarchal  man,  his  sainted  wife, 
and  their  intelligent,  pious,  and  animated  daughter.  But 
alas  for  the  inroads  of  death!  Yet  I  thought  their  spirits 
still  linger  about  the  place.  From  twenty  to  forty  years 
ago  I  was  on  terms  of  closest  intimacy  with  this  family  ;* 
how  precious  are  yet  the  recollections  of  my  frequent 

*  His  own  family  resided  in  Khinebeck  when  he  had  charge  of  the 
"old  Rhinebeck  District." 


308 


UFK  AND  TIMES  OF 


visits,  our  converse  on  the  veranda,  our  walks  on  the 
lawn  or  in  the  gardens,  our  pleasant  hours  on  the  benches 
under  the  trees,  commanding  the  prospects  of  the  river ! 
My  old  friends  are  gone,  but  the  beautiful  scenery  re- 
mains, and  their  spirit  still  lives  in  the  daughter,  who 
kindly  cheered  my  heart  with  her  Christian  fellowship 
and  the  old  hospitality  of  the  house.  The  mansion  is  un- 
altered, except  the  addition  of  a  library  room  and  some 
other  small  improvements  ;  the  old  garden  in  front  of 
the  house  is  gone,  changed  into  a  beautiful  lawn,  gently 
sloping  toward  the  river.  I  thanked  God  for  permitting 
me  once  more  to  visit  this  place,  endeared  by  so  many 
pleasing  recollections. 

SUNSHINE  ON  THE  DECLINE  OF  LIFE. 

'■'■June  24. — I  attended  the  meeting  at  Mrs.  Palmer's. 
I  have  attended  it  for  some  years,  and  find  it  to  be 
among  my  best  means  of  grace.  It  is  sad  that  these 
useful  assemblies,  doing  so  much  for  the  promotion  of 
holiness,  should  be  opposed  by  some  of  our  people.  The 
experiences  which  I  have  heard  there  are  generally  sound 
and  scriptural,  well  suited  to  promote  experimental  and 
practical  godliness." 

"August  4. — Last  Saturday  and  Sabbath  I  attended  a 
•  Quarterly  Meeting  at  East  Chester.  O  how  powerfully 
present  was  the  Lord,  both  in  the  love-feast  and  in  preach- 
ing, particularly  on  the  Sabbath !  In  the  love-feast  I 
endeavored  to  exj)lain  how,  from  the  omnipresence  of 
God,  he  is  with  us  in  every  place,  and  therefore  must 
be  among  his  people  always,  to  sustain  and  com- 
fort them.  While  speaking  the  Lord  filled  my  heart 
with  his  love,  and  put  Avords  and  arguments  into  my 
mouth  of  which  I  had  not  thought  before,  and  they  ap- 
peared to  go  like  fire  through  the  assembly.  It  was  a 
time  of  refreshing  from  the  presence  of  God.  While 
preaching  my  heart  expanded  with  enlarged  views  of  the 
goodness  of  God,  and  my  tongue  was  unloosed  to  speak, 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


369 


I  cannot  but  believe,  '  in  the  Holy  Ghost  with  much  as- 
surance.' O  how  good  is  the  Lord  to  me !  When  I 
look  back  upon  my  life  and  see  how  very  little  I  have 
done  for  him  I  wonder  at  his  mercy  in  sparing  me,  and 
so  abundantly  blessing  me ;  and  such  a  view  have  I  of 
his  goodness  that  I  feel  sometimes  a  wish  that  I  was 
young  again  that  I  might  devote  myself  more  ardently 
to  his  service  in  proclaiming  his  loving-kindness  unto  the 
children  of  men.  A  vain  wish !  I  must  be  content  to 
hobble  along  under  my  infirmities,  and  fill  up  my  few 
remaining  days  as  I  may,  allowing  no  moments  to  run 
to  waste;  and  I  do  praise  God  most  sincerely  for  the 
many,  very  many,  tokens  of  his  mercy  toward  me  in 
my  declining  life.  He  gives  me  friends  everywhere,  who 
treat  me  with  love  and  great  respect ;  and  I  meet  with 
one  and  another  who  tell  me  how  often  they  have  been 
Messed  under  my  ministry,  for  which  I  praise  God  from 
my  inmost  heart.  May  I  meet  them  in  another  world, 
a  world  of  unending  bliss  !" 

PRESIDENT  OLIT*. 

"  August  20. — Yesterday  I  returned  from  attending 
the  funeral  of  Dr.  Olin,  President  of  the  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity, at  Middletown,  Conn.  He  died  on  Saturday 
about  six  o'clock  A.  M.,  in  the  fifty-fifth  year  of  his  ago. 
Surely  a  great  and  good  man  has  fallen  in  our  Israel  ! 
He  had  a  collegiate  education,  was  soundly  converted  to 
God  when  about  twenty  years  of  age,  soon  entered  the 
ministry,  and  gave  evidence  of  a  warm  heart,  and  of  a 
powerful  and  comprehensive  mind.  I  have  been  inti- 
mately acquainted  with  him  for  upward  of  twenty  years, 
and  in  all  my  intercourse  with  him  have  I  ever  found  him 
a  warm  and  affectionate  friend,  and  though  possessing  a 
giant  intellect,  he  manifested  the  simplicity  'Of*  a  child  and 
the  humility  of  a  true  disciple  of  Jesus  Christ.  His 
spirit  was  tender  and  affectionate  in  an  eminent  degree. 
I  loved  him  as  a  Christian  brother,  venerated  him  as  a 
24 


370 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


Christian  minister,  and  admired  him  as  a  powerful  writer. 
In  preaching  he  laid  hold  on  the  grandest  truths,  and  was 
exceedingly  powerful.  We  have  not  his  fellow  remain- 
ing. How  mysterious  the  providence  of  God,  that  such 
a  man  should  be  taken  away  in  the  very  zenith  of  his 
usefulness,  while  so  many  of  us  are  left  so  long  with  our 
inferior  powers !  I  returned  in  time  to  attend  the  meet- 
ing at  Mrs.  Palmer's,  and  there,  beneath  the  roof  where 
lie  was  so  often  sheltered,  related  the  scenes  of  his  death 
and  funeral.  Sensations  of  the  love  of  God  pervaded 
my  heart  as  I  spoke  of  his  goodness  Jo  his  servant  and 
to  me.  O  my  soul,  praise  the  Lord  for  his  redeeming 
love  !  I  cannot  describe  what  I  then  felt,  and  still  feel,  of 
the  love  of  God.  It  is  indeed  '  unspeakable  and  full  of 
glory.' 

"  '  Our  brother  the  haven  hath  gained, 

Outflying  the  tempest  and  wind ; 
His  rest  he  hath  sooner  obtained, 

And  left  his  companions  behind, 
Still  toss'd  on  a  sea  of  distress, 

Hard  toiling  to  make  the  blest  shore, 
Where  all  is  assurance  and  peace, 

And  sorrow  and  sin  are  no  more.' 

"  I  know  not  what  God  may  have  in  store  for  me  in 
this  world,  whether  I  may  be  spared  for  some  few  years, 
or  whether  I  am  to  die  shortly ;  nor  does  it  give  me  any 
trouble,  for  I  feel  as  if  I  were,  fully  prepared  either  to 
live  or  to  die.  Such  is  the  amazing  mercy  of  God  in 
Christ  Jesus  toward  me,  a  sinner  saved  by  grace !" 

Such  rapturous  expressions  have  now  become  the  ha- 
bitual language  of  his  journal.  He  has  got  high  up  the 
acclivities  of  the  mount  of  vision  and  sees  all  things 
below,  even  in  "  the  valley  and  shadow  of  death,"  by  the 
reflected  light  of  its  glory.  But  he  is  still  in  his  proba- 
tion and  needs  its  occasional  tests. 

"  Sept.  5. — Though  my  confidence  in  God  is  unshaken, 
and  ray  peace  uninterrupted,  yet  my  heart  has  been  bur- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


371 


dened  with  a  load  that  I  cannot  easily  shake  off.  No 
one  but  he  who  has  experience  of  it  can  comprehend  the 
otherwise  deep  mystery  of  how  the  mind,  while  staid  on 
God  and  kept  in  perfect  peace,  can  nevertheless  be  har- 
assed with  cruel  temptations,  the  heart  torn  and  lacer- 
ated with  sorrow  of  an  indescribable  character.  Yet  so 
it  is  with  me  at  present.  All  this  God  sees  necessary  for 
my  good  or  he  would  not  permit  it  to  come  upon  me, 
and  I  have  no  doubt  that  he  will  bring  me  through  the 
fire  without  hurt. 

"Sept.  6. — After  writing  the  above,  yesterday  morning, 
I  went  in  the  evening  to  hear  a  sermon.  It  was  on  the 
peace  of  God,  and  while  listening  the  clouds  gradually 
dispersed  from  my  mind,  my  heart  was  lightened  of  its 
burden,  and  I  could  praise  God  for  his  consolation.  I 
came  home,  committed  myself  to  him  in  prayer  an/1  faith, 
lay  down  in  my  bed  and  slept  most  sweetly,  and  when 
I  awoke  toward  morning  I  was  praising  God  aloud. 
O  how  sweetly  and  delightfully  my  soul  rests  in  the 
Lord  this  morning,  in  him  who  orders  all  things  well ! 
So  true  it  is  that  they  who  trust  in  the  Lord  shall 
never  be  confounded." 

"  Sept.  23. — Last  Saturday  and  Sunday  I  attended  a 
Quarterly  Meeting  at  Stamford.  I  had  a  blessed  time  in 
preaching,  Sabbath  morning,  on  the  influence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  It  seemed  as  if  the  fire  of  His  inspiration  came 
down  upon  me  while  speaking  and  upon  the  assembly 
while  listening,  so  that  we  were  abundantly  refreshed 
and  strengthened,  and  felt  as  if  we  could  go  on  our  way 
rejoicing.  I  am  deeply  humbled  under  a  consciousness 
of  my  utter  unworthiness  before  God,  and  often  wonder 
how  it  is  that  he  condescends  so  abundantly  to  bless  and 
comfort  me.  It  is  not  surely  for  my  sake,  but  for  Christ's 
sake,  and  for  the  sake  of  his  people  whom  he  loves,  and 
to  whom  he  sends  me  to  minister,  that  he  pours  the 
riches  of  his  grace  into  my  poor  heart." 


372 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


ADDRESS  TO  KOSSUTH. 

'■'•Dec.  11. — On  attending  the  preachers'  meeting  on 
Monday  I  was  requested  to  introduce  them  Avith  an  ad- 
dress to  Louis  Kossuth,  the  Hungarian  hero  and  exile. 
More  than  a  hundred  Methodist  preachers  accompanied 
me  on  the  appointed  day."  Dr.  Bangs  alluded  in  his 
address  to  the  religious  character  of  Kossuth,  and  said  : 
"  We  wish  especially  to  address  you  as  Christian  minis- 
ters, prompted,  as  we  humbly  trust,  by  that  religion 
which  has  its  seat  in  the  heart,  and  that  moves  and  sanc- 
tifies the  affections,  to  congratulate  you  on  your  adher- 
ence to  that  stern  religious  principle  which  led  you 
indignantly  to  reject  the  tempting  offer  of  the  Mussulman. 
He  offered  you  liberty  and  protection  upon  condition 
that  you  should  renounce  your  Christianity  and  embrace 
the  Mol  lammedan  faith.  While  some  of  your  fellow- 
exiles  accepted  the  boon  on  such  terms,  you,  sir,  nobly 
replied  that  you  would  prefer  death  to  the  abjuration  of 
your  faith.  This  firm  adherence  to  Christian  principle, 
even  in  the  sight  of  a  prison,  as  the  alternative  of  the 
acceptance  of  the  tempting  bait,  has  endeared  you  to 
our  hearts,  and  won  for  you  a  glory  almost  equal  to  that 
which  surrounds  the  memory  of  the  martyrs." 

Kossuth,  in  his  reply,  said  :  "  In  relation  to  the  circum- 
stance that  happened  at  Kutahia,  there  is  no  need  to 
speak  of  it.  There  is  no  merit  in  it.  Every  honest  man 
must  be  obedient  to  his  religion,  and — " 

Dr.  Bangs  (interposing.)  "  But  begging  your  pardon 
for  interrupting  you,  will  you  please  tell  us  whether 
that  is  a  fact  or  not?  We  heard  of  such  an  offer 
being  made." 

M.  Kossuth.  "  It  is  a  fact.  I  take  no  merit  for  what 
I  did.  Every  honest  man  would  do  the  same.  That  is 
not  worthy  of  being  mentioned.  If  man  be  not  truly 
faithful  to  his  God  and  to  his  religion,  would  he  be  faith- 
ful to  his  country?    [Applause.]    I  have  regarded,  and 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


373 


Will  always  regard  my  unshaken  confidence  in  the  justice 
of  God  as  the  richest  source  of  consolation,  and  the 
solid  basis  of  my  hopes  for  the  future  of  my  life,  because 
I  am  intimately  convinced  of  the  justice  of  the  cause  of 
my  unhappy  land,  and  that  it  is  not  possible  that  the 
blessing  of  the  Almighty  God  should  not  be  allotted  to 
its  future.  Very  often  Divine  Providence  takes  courses 
which  apparently  cannot  be  understood  by  weak  human 
minds,  but  by  and  by  circumstances  prove  that  even 
in  misfortune  Ave  shall  find  realized  at  last  the  great 
truth  that  what  God  blesses  is  well  clone.  Even  misfor- 
tune is  often  only  the  means  to  come  to  that  end  and 
to  that  aim  which  God  in  his  Divine  providence  has 
assigned  us  to  pursue." 

DEATH  OF  SUSAN  O.  BANGS. 

"March  25,  1852. — Yesterday  I  attended  the  funeral 
of  Susan  O.  Bangs,  wife  of  my  son  Nathan.  What  a 
loss  has  he  sustained  in  the  death  of  such  a  wife !  She 
was  one  of  the  best  of  mothers  in  training  her  children, 
as  well  as  the  best  of  wives.  She  professed  religion  and 
joined  the  Church  about  three  years  since,  and  though 
she  enjoyed  peace  with  God,  yet  her  faith  was  feeble,  and 
she  often  trembled  in  view  of  death.  She  lingered  some 
time  with  consumption,  and  shortly  before  her  death 
the  great  desire  of  her  heart  was  granted.  Some  of  her 
Christian  friends  were  singing  the  hymn  beginning, 

"  '0  thou  God  of  my  salvation, 
My  redeemer  from  all  sin.' 

When  they  came  to  the  words, 

"  '  Angels  now  are  hov'ring  round  us, 

Unperccived  amid  the  throng  ; 
Wond'ring  at  the  love  that  crowns  us, 

Glad  to  join  our  holy  song: 
Halleluiah, 

Love  and  praise  to  Christ  belong!' 


374 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


though  she  had  been  scarcely  able  to  articulate  a  word 
intelligibly,  her  countenance  suddenly  lit  up  with  a  heav- 
enly radiance,  she  waved  her  emaciated  hand,  and  broke 
forth  in  a  song  of  holy  triumph,  shouting  '  Victory,  vic- 
tory, victory,  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb !'  After  she 
calmed  down  a  little  she  called  her  two  eldest  children 
(boys,  the  only  ones  able  to  understand  her)  and  gave 
them  her  dying  charge,  then  addressed  her  weeping  hus- 
band and  all  the  friends  present,  and  gave  directions 
respecting  her  funeral.  In  this  peaceful  frame  of  mind 
she  remained  until  she  died,  once  giving  intimation  that 
she  saw  the  spirit  of  her  little  child  who  had  died  about 
a  year  since,  and  she  sunk  sweetly  into  the  arms  of  death 
without  a  struggle  or  a  groan.  I  praise  God  for  giving 
me  this  testimony  among  so  many  others  of  the  power 
of  religion." 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


375 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCE  OP  1852. 

At  the  Xew  York  East  Conference  of  1851  Dr.  Bangs 
was  again  elected  delegate  to  the  General  Conference. 
"Four  years  ago,"  he  writes,  "a  strong  current  of  prej- 
udice was  set  in  motion  against  me  in  one  of  our  papers, 
because  of  my  views  on  subjects  connected  with  the  late 
division  of  the  Church,  and  with  the  editorial  course  of 
that  paper.  I  was,  therefore,  left  out  of  the  delegation 
to  the  General  Conference  at  that  time.  This,  however, 
never  gave  me  a  moment's  uneasiness.  I  knew  that, 
having  acted  in  the  fear  of  God,  he  would  take  care  of 
the  consequences.  My  brethren  have  now  elected  me 
by  a  large  majority  on  the  first  ballot.  I  thank  God 
that  I  have  not  lost  their  confidence,  for  they  have  given 
me  sufficient  evidence  of  their  respect  and  love  in  this 
and  in  a  thousand  other  instances  during  my  ministerial 
life."  His  name  was  preceded  on  the  list  by  that  of  his 
old  friend,  Dr.  Laban  Clark,  and  followed  by  that  of  his 
brother,  Heman  Bangs.  Both  his  name  and  kindred 
were  represented  by  three  delegates  at  this  session. 

The  General  Conference  assembled  in  Boston,  May  1, 
1852.  Dr.  Bangs  rejoiced  to  stand  again  among  the 
representatives  of  the  Church  in  a  comparatively  tranquil 
session  of  its  supreme  body,  for  the  great  controversy 
which  had  agitated  its  deliberations  during  so  many 
years  had  passed  away,  for  the  present  at  least.  His 
extreme  age  exempted  him  from  any  onerous  services  in 
the  Conference;  he  was  chairman  of  no  committee,  and 
member  of  but  one  or  two.  His  voice  was  seldom  heard 
in  the  proceedings,  and  then  chiefly  in  suggestions  of 
parliamentary  order,  which  his  long  familiarity  with  the 
body  enabled  him  to  make. 


876 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


THE  METHODIST  PKKSS. 

He  attempted  a  reform  which  he  deemed  of  urgent 
importance  in  the  conduct  of  the  journals  of  the 
Church,  by  moving  the  resolution,  "That  all  the  editors 
and  correspondents  of  periodicals  under  the  patronage 
of  this  General  Conference  be  instructed  to  avoid,  as 
far  as  practicable,  all  personalities  in  controversies 
which  may  arise,  and  in  no  case  to  admit  an  anonymous 
writer  to  assail  any  man's  character,  either  in  or  out 
of  the  Church."  Allusion  has  already  been  made  to 
his  difficulties  with  one  of  the  Church  papers,  and 
the  alleged  management  of  its  editor  against  his  elec- 
tion as  a  delegate  to  the  preceding  General  Conference. 
He  deemed  himself  traduced  in  its  columns.  The  paper 
became  noted  for  both  the  frequency  and  the  ability  of 
its  sarcasm,  especially  for  its  attacks  on  Methodist 
preachers  who  differed  from  it  on  public  questions.  Dr. 
Bangs  deplored  the  moral  influence  of  its  example,  and 
considered  it  the  more  perilous  for  the  unquestionable 
skill  of  its  satires.  He  feared  that,  from  its  supreme 
position  among  the  Church  organs,  its  example  would  be 
copied,  and  the  denominational  press  be  thus  generally 
perverted.  It  was  in  reference  to  these  facts  and  fears 
that  he  introduced  the  present  resolution.  He  had  been 
one  of  the  founders,  and  the  first  official  editor  of  this 
very  paper,  and  it  seemed  hard  that  he  should,  in  his  old 
age,  be  caricatured  by  it  before  the  whole  Church,  which 
he  had  so  long  and  faithfully  served.  But  his  own  suf- 
ferings were  past,  and  it  was  not  to  resent  them  that  he 
now  wished  this  moral  restriction  to  be  imposed  upon 
the  dangerous  power  of  the  incumbents  of  the  Church 
press ;  it  was  for  the  protection  of  the  Church  and  its 
individual  preachers  in  the  future.  There  were,  indeed, 
peculiar  perils  besetting  the  organization  of  the  Method- 
ist press,  and  requiring  peculiar  guards.  As  that  press, 
and  the  whole  "  Book  Concern,"  are  the  property  of  the 


NATHAN  BANGS,  P.P. 


377 


C.eneral  Conference,  and  the  General  Conference  is  ex- 
clusively a  clerical  body,  the  clergy  exclusiv  ely  own  and 
control  the  vast  apparatus  of  the  literary  instruction  of 
the  denomination — its  books,  tracts,  Sunday-school  pub- 
lications, its  powerful  periodical  organs  stationed  in  all 
sections  of  the  country.  The  election  of  publishers  and 
editors  being  solely  with  the  clergy  in  the  General  Con- 
ference, except  the  filling  of  vacancies  in  the  interim  of 
its  sessions,  any  public  question,  respecting  which  there 
may  be  a  division  of  opinion  in  this  body,  may  become  a 
test  question  in  these  elections.  The  majority  may  ap- 
point representatives  of  its  own  side,  and  the  minority, 
of  both  clergy  and  people,  however  large,  be  thus  de- 
pendent upon  their  opponents  for  the  habitual  reading 
of  their  families,  their  habitual  reading,  it  maybe,  on  the 
very  questions  in  controversy.  Obviously  such  an  anom- 
alous fact  requires  peculiar  moral  guards,  at  least. 
Free  discussion,  however  emphatically  avowed,  can 
readily  be  overpowered  by  the  dominant  editorial  in- 
fluence; it  can  be  made  even  perilous  to  the  writer  who 
dares  to  avail  himself  of  it  by  the  indiscretion,  the  sar- 
casm of  the  controlling  pen  of  the  paper.  Dr.  Bangs 
believed  that  this  had  been  the  case  in  the  instance  al- 
luded to.  lie  hesitated  not  to  express  his  conviction 
that  few  calamities  equal  to  this  editorial  example  had 
ever  befallen  the  denomination,  for  he  believed  that  it 
would  infect  its  journalism  generally  with  the  demoraliz- 
ing spirit  and  style  of  the  political  press  of  the  times. 
This  was  his  honest  conviction  and  frequent  assertion  ; 
whether  rightly  or  wrongly,  need  not  here  be  discussed. 
He  did  not,  however,  believe  that  such  evils  were  inevit- 
able, much  less  would  he  impeach  the  ministry  with  any 
selfish  design  or  usurpation  in  this  peculiar  organization  of 
its  great  publishing  institution.  The  anomalous  fact  had 
been  historically  an  accidental  fact.  The  early  Methodist 
ministry  had  begun,  in  a  very  humble  way,  the  publica- 
tion of  works  for  the  benefit  of  its  people.    It  had  no  an- 


373 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


ticipation  of  the  future  power  of  this  scheme.  Its  pub- 
lishing plans  came,  properly  enough,  under  the  direction 
of  the  annual  ministerial  assemblies,  and,  at  last,  under 
that  of  the  delegated  quadrennial  assembly.  The 
preachers  provided  its  first  small  capital ;  they  were  the 
real,  if  not  indeed  the  only  salesmen  of  its  publications 
on  their  extended  circuits.  The  profits  of  their  sales 
augmented  its  capital,  until  at  last  they  found  under 
their  control  the  largest  religious  publishing  establish- 
ment in  the  world,  with  important  subsidiary  institutions, 
as  Sunday-School  and  Tract  Societies,  and  the  most 
extensive  and  powerful  periodical  press  of  Protestant 
Christendom.  The  success  of  the  enterprise  was,  in- 
deed, a  most  honorable  fact,  and  no  one  man  had  done 
more  for  it  than  Dr.  Bangs.  But  perceiving  now,  as 
he  believed,  these  liabilities  of  the  abuse  of  so  stupen- 
dous a  power — a  power  which,  belonging  to  a  purely 
clerical  body,  might  be  controlled  by  a  simple  majority 
of  that  body,  might  be  manned  by  representatives  of  a 
dominant  party  of  that  body,  might,  in  all  its  tremendous 
agencies,  stationed  in  all  parts  of  the  land,  be  directed 
in  concert  for  or  against  any  particular  public  question, 
or,  possibly,  for  or  against  any  particular  man — he  saw 
the  necessity  of  some  special  moral  restraints  upon  it, 
some  special  guards,  enforced  by  the  supreme  power  of 
the  Church.  Otherwise  he  feared  that  this,  one  of  its 
most  potent  agencies  for  good,  might,  in  times  of  public 
agitation  and  confusion,  and  especially  in  the  hands  of 
injudicious  men,  become  one  of  the  most  potent  agencies 
of  evil.  He  saw  but  two  means  of  safety  for  it :  either 
the  moral  restrictions  that  he  now  proposed,  or  an  effect- 
ive unofficial  press,  outside  of  but,  on  all  common  in- 
terests of  the  Church,  co-operative  with  the  official  press. 
I  am  not  disposed  to  obtrude  here  any  discussion  of  the 
expediency  or  inexpediency  of  his  views  on  this  question 
further  than  is  necessary  for  their  intelligible  statement. 
Many  of  his  brethren  differed  from  him  upon  the  subject. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  P.D. 


379 


It  was  at  least  a  delicate  and  an  extremely  difficult  one 
to  legislate  upon ;  it  came  suddenly  before  the  General 
Conference,  and  that  body  saw  at  a  glance  that  it  could 
not  be  safely  determined  in  the  midst  of  its  many  other 
important  questions.  His  resolution  was,  therefore,  laid 
upon  the  table. 

SUPERANNUATED  LIFE  EEVIEW. 

Dr.  Bangs  had  sat  in  the  first  delegated  General  Con- 
ference ;  he  was  now  sitting  in  the  last  of  which  he  was 
to  be  a  member.  On  the  first  of  June  he  made  its  last 
public  prayer,  and  retired  with  the  veneration  of  all  his 
colleagues.  But  one  member,  besides  himself,  of  the  first 
General  Conference  which  he  had  attended,  was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  present  session,  his  life-long  friend,  Laban 
Clark.  All  the  bishops,  all  the  leading  officers  of  the 
Church  in  his  early  days,  had  now  gone  to  the  grave.  He 
was  moving  among  a  new  generation,  and  felt  that  it  was 
time  to  retire  and  rest  a  little  before  he  also  should  de- 
part hence  and  be  no  more.  He  returned  to  his  own 
Conference  and  took  a  "  superannuated  relation,"  thus 
concluding  his  active  official  career  in  the  seventy-fifth 
year  of  his  age.  Asking  the  reader  now  to  glance  back 
in  his  own  mind  over  the  outlines  of  that  long,  energetic, 
devoted  career,  as  narrated  in  these  pages,  I  am  sure  I 
do  not  risk  much  in  pronouncing  that  the  lives  of  few, 
if  indeed  of  any  other  men  in  the  history  of  American 
Methodism  surpass  it  in  fidelity,  in  steadfast  devotion  to 
the  Church,  in  successful  labors  for  its  substantial  and 
enduring  interests,  or  in  exemplary  personal  piety.  He 
had  received  from  the  authorities  of  the  Church  fifty  con- 
secutive annual  appointments,  and  including  his  first 
year  in  the  itinerancy,  when  he  was  employed  by  his  pre- 
siding elder,  he  performed  fifty-one  years  of  ministerial 
service.  Twenty-nine  of  these  were  spent  in  the  pastoral 
office,  eight  in  the  book  agency,  eight  in  Church  editor- 
ship, nearly  five  in  the  missionary  secretaryship,  and  be- 


380 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


tween  one  and  two  in  the  presidency  of  the  TVeslcyan  Uni- 
versity. He  sat  in  all  the  General  Conferences,  save  one, 
from  1808  to  1852  ;  and  he  was,  as  we  have  seen,  a  chief 
actor,  if  not  indeed  the  chief  actor,  in  the  most  important 
measures  of  these  quadrennial  sessions.  His  personal  his- 
tory has  thus  far  been,  more  perhaps  than  that  of  any  other 
man,  a  history  of  his  denomination.  Of  his  services  in  found- 
ing or  promoting  the  leading  interests  of  the  Church,  those 
which  have  most  contributed  to  its  development  and  per- 
manence, I  need  here  add  nothing ;  they  have  appeared 
throughout  this  narrative.  A  bishop  of  the  denomi- 
nation says  that  "  his  pulpit  and  pastoral  labors  in  this 
city  and  in  his  other  appointments  were  highly  use- 
ful to  the  Churches.  His  sermons  were  sound  in  doc- 
trine, sententious  in 'style,  affectionate  in  spirit,  and  direct 
and  pungent  in  application.  In  his  advanced  age  they 
were  less  energetic  in  manner,  but  equally  edifying.  In 
the  pastoral  work  and  the  administration  of  discipline 
he  had  few  equals  in  the  days  of  his  strength.  In  the 
office  of  presiding  elder  he  was  pre-eminently  useful. 
When  without  a  pastoral  relation,  and  filling  other  highly 
responsible  and  very  laborious  departments  of  service,  he 
was  accustomed  to  preach  regularly.  His  sermons  on 
special  occasions  were  very  able  and  useful.  Since  he 
has  held  a  superannuated  relation  to  his  Conference  he 
has  preached  frequently  most  of  the  time.  Dr.  Bangs 
loved  to  preach,  and  in  his  later  years  was  accustomed 
to  discourse  on  the  deep  things  of  God  with  great  delight 
to  himself  and  great  profit  to  the  Church."* 

He  was  now  to  enjoy  an  enviable  evening  of  life,  com- 
fortably sheltered  in  the  home  of  his  eldest  son  Lemuel, 
blessed  with  the  kindest  ministrations  of  affection 
and  veneration  from  innumerable  friends,  preaching  as 
his  declining  strength  would  allow  from  church  to 
church,  using  his  pen  occasionally  in  the  public  papers, 
attending,  with  notable  punctuality,  the  "  Board  Meet- 
*  Ilia  funeral  sermon  by  Bishop  Janes. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


381 


mgs"  of  the  philanthropic  institutions  of  the  denomina- 
tion, especially  of  the  Missionary  Society,  where  his  seat 
M  as,  by  courtesy,  invariably  on  the  platform  of  the  pres- 
ident ;  and  attending  social  meetings  of  devotion,  espe- 
cially that  which  was  held  for  the  "  promotion  of  holi- 
ness "  at  the  house  of  his  former  catechetical  disciple, 
Mrs.  Palmer,  of  which  he  had  become  the  virtual  pres- 
ident, and  where  it  was  his  habit  and  one  of  his  choicest 
pleasures  to  remain  after  the  public  services  to  join  the 
family  and  numerous  guests  in  religious  sociability  at  the 
tea-table. 

DEATH  OF  A  SOX. 

Serene  and  beautiful  were  these  declining  years ;  but 
the  tranquil  and  radiant  picture  had  also  its  shades.  On 
Sept.  7,  1852,  he  writes:  "Yesterday,  at  about  four 
o'clock  A.M.,  my  son,  William  M'Kendree,  died  in  great 
peace  of  mind,  in  the  forty-second  year  of  his  age  and  the 
twenty-second  of  his  itinerant  ministry.  I  felt  the  stroke 
most  sensibly,  but  was  comforted  in  the  belief  that  he 
had  gone  to  his  rest.  Such  'saint-like  patience'  he 
exhibited  through  all  his  sickness,  such  meekness  and 
humility  as  I  scarcely  ever  witnessed,  and  he  truly  '  fell 
asleep  in  Jesus ;'  for  so  peaceful  was  his  death,  not  a 
struggle  or  groan  escaping  him,  that  the  bystanders  did 
not  perceive  the  moment  when  the  spirit  fled. 

"It  does  not  become  me  to  say  much  of  his  excellencies 
or  of  his  defects  ;  but  thus  much  I  may  say,  that,  in  the 
judgment  of  all  who  knew  him,  he  was  a  man  of  un- 
doubted piety,  a  close  student,  of  an  acute,  comprehen- 
sive mind,  always  retiring  in  his  manners,  and  unobtru- 
sive in  his  conduct. 

"  Sept.  9. — Yesterday  his  obsequies  were  attended  in 
a  very  solemn  and  appropriate  manner,  his  friends  and 
mine  manifesting  the  most  tender  sympathy.  O  how 
consoling  it  is  to  have  such  friends  at  such  a  time! 
After  his  corpse  was  deposited  in  the  earth  I  felt  in  a 
great  measure  relieved,  and  could  say,  'The  Lord  gave, 


382 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away  ;  blessed  be  the  name  of 
the  Lord.' " 

Rev.  Dr.  Sprague  has  devoted  several  pages  of  his  "An- 
nals  of  the  American  Pulpit"  to  the  memory  of  William 
M'Kendree  Bangs.  Rev.  Dr.  M'Clintock  says  in  that 
sketch  :  "  He  possessed  rare  powers  of  investigation,  of 
analysis,  and  of  reasoning.  He  had  a  remarkable  com- 
mand of  the  English  language,  and  selected  his  words 
with  great  taste  and  judgment.  Whether  conversing 
familiarly  with  his  friends,  discussing  some  difficult  ab- 
stract question,  preaching  to  a  congregation,  or  address- 
ing a  throne  of  grace,  his  style  was  remarkably  adapted 
to  the  subject  and  the  occasion.  His  sermons  were  clear, 
systematic,  easy  to  be  understood,  neither  encumbered 
with  extraneous  matter,  nor  disfigured  by  learned  ped- 
antry. They  were  characterized  by  a  beautiful  simplicity, 
and  bore  the  impress  altogether  of  a  great  mind.  His 
manner  in  the  pulpit  was  solemn  and  dignified,  express- 
ive of  a  deep  sense  of  his  responsibility  to  God  for  the 
souls  committed  to  his  charge.  Among  his  friends  he 
was  social  and  communicative,  but  among  strangers  he 
was  reserved,  and  not  inclined  to  make  new  acquaint- 
ances. He  was  kind  and  affectionate,  very  conscientious, 
and  a  devout  and  sincere  Christian. 

"His  talents,  learning,  and  piety  would  have  placed 
him  in  eminent  positions  in  the  Church  had  his  health 
been  equal  to  the  efforts  necessary  to  sustain  them.  No 
critical  mind  can  examine  his  articles  in  the  Methodist 
Quarterly  Review  for  1836  and  1897  without  becoming 
convinced  that  the  Methodist  Church  lost,  in  the  death 
of  William  M'Kendree  Bangs,  one  of  the  noblest  intel- 
lects ever  committed  to  its  care.  His  criticisms  on 
Richard  Watson's  '  Institutes '  show  an  acuteness  and 
comprehensiveness  of  the  highest  order.  He  was  emi- 
nently fitted  to  be  a  theologian,  and,  with  good  health 
and  longer  life,  he  would  probably  have  become  a  stand- 
ard authority  in  Divinity  among  his  brethren.  Bishop 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


383 


Hedding's  opinion  of  his  capacity,  formed  upon  these 
writings,  was  most  flattering.  The  bishop  pronounced 
him  the  ablest  theological  thinker  in  the  denomination." 

HAPPY  OLD  AGE. 

"  Oct.  26. — Yesterday  I  attended  a  meeting  at  Mrs. 
Palmer's.  There  were  many  testimonies  given  in  favor 
of  '  perfect  love,'  and  among  others,  a  brother  preacher 
remarked  that  a  devoted  Christian,  when  on  his  dying 
bed,  said  that  Satan  appeared  as  his  accuser,  reminding 
him  of  this  sin,  and  then  of  another,  and  finally  the 
dying  saint  asked  him  if  that  was  all  ?  The  tempter 
seemed  to  answer  '  No  ;  such  and  such  a  one  you  have 
committed.'  '  Is  that  all  ?'  '  Yes,  but  it  is  enough.' 
'Well,  then,'  said  the  dying  saint,  'write  underneath, 
"  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin,"  '  and 
the  tempter  flew,  and  left  him  triumphing  in  God  his  sal- 
vation!  This,  with  other  testimonies  equally  pointed, 
thrilled  through  my  soul  like  electricity,  and  I  at  last 
rose,  as  I  believed,  under  the  influence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  said,  '  I  did  not  know  that  I  should  have 
anything  to  communicate,  but  while  musing  upon  what 
I  have  heard  the  fire  has  burned  in  my  heart,  and  I  must 
speak  and  declare  the  loving-kindness  of  the  Lord.' 
God  sent  the  word  to  the  hearts  of  his  people,  and  they 
seemed  melted  down  into  tenderness  before  him.  I  con- 
cluded by  remarking  that,  this  salvation  of  which  we  had 
heard  was  of  God  most  emphatically.  That  neither 
our  repentance,  prayers,  faith,  nor  anything  else  we  had 
done  or  could  do  saved  us  from  our  sins,  but  that  God, 
by  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  wrought  the  whole 
of  it.  This  doctrine  humbles  us  in  the  dust,  strips  the 
soul  of  all  self-dependence,  and  leads  it  to  ascribe  the 
glory  of  our  salvation  to  the  grace  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus.  The  work  is  wrought  in  the  heart  by  the  Holy 
Spirit.  This,  and  this  alone,  destroys  sin,  and  fills  the 
soul  with  peace  and  joy  in  believing.    I  believe  God 


384 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


blessed  these  remarks  to  the  good  of  all  present.  I  felt 
my  own  heart  warmed  with  Divine  fire,  and  my  under- 
standing illuminated.  After  my  return  home,  in  secret 
prayer  I  enjoyed  such  an  access  to  the  throne  of  grace 
as  I  have  not  felt  for  a  long  time,  and  my  soul  ex- 
ulted in  the  beams  of  the  Sun  of  righteousness.  Glory 
and  honor  be  to  God  for  his  unbounded  love  !" 

"Jan.  1853. — Another  year  has  rolled  around,  and  yet  I 
am  permitted  to  live,  a  monument  of  God's  mercy  !  I 
desire  here  to  record  my  sense  of  his  goodness.  When 
I  took  a  superannuated  relation  at  the  last  Conference 
I  was  fearful  that  my  health  and  spirits  would  run  down, 
and  I  dreaded  the  thought  of  giving  up  all  responsibility 
or  charge  of  any  particular  branch  of  the  Church;  but 
the  effect  of  the  change  has  been  directly  the  reverse, 
my  health  has  gradually  gained,  and  my  spirits  have  been 
more  buoyant  than  usual,  for  all  which  I  praise  God 
most  sincerely.  It  is  true,  I  have  endeavored  to  keep 
myself  busy  in  reading,  writing,  preaching,  and  attend- 
ing various  meetings  for  the  promotion  of  the  cause  of 
God,  and  more  especially  the  cause  of  holiness,  in  doing 
which  I  have  been  abundantly  strengthened  and  com- 
forted, and  I  look  forward  with  an  increasingly  bright 
anticipation  of  everlasting  happiness. 

"  What  abundant  cause  have  I  to  praise  God  for  the 
manner  in  which  he  has  dealt  with  me  all  the  days  of 
my  life !  I  am  now  in  my  seventy-fifth  year,  surrounded 
with  all  the  blessings  of  life,  so  that  I  want  for  no  good 
thing  to  make  it  agreeable,  and,  above  all,  enjoy  peace 
of  mind,  and  a  firm  hope  of  eternal  life.  Surely  I  ought 
to  be  thankful  to  my  heaveuly  Father  for  his  un- 
bounded love  to  me,  a  sinner,  a  sinner  saved  by  grace. 

"My  children  are  grown  up  around  me,  all  blessed 
with  temporal  prosperity ;  some  of  them  are  relig 
ions,  all  steady  and  moral,  and  all  show  a  tender  re- 
gard for  my  welfare.  How  thankful  I  am  that  I  have 
not  had  a  profligate  in  my  family,  though  two  of  my 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


385 


children,  a  daughter  and  son,  have  suffered  aberra- 
tion of  mind.  This,  to  be  sure,  was  a  keen  affliction, 
known  only  to  a  father  who  is  called  upon  to  experi- 
ence it." 

On  his  birthday  he  resumes  this  grateful  strain,  now 
almost  continually  recurring  in  his  manuscript. 

'■'■May  2. — This  day  I  am  seventy-five  years  of  age. 
What  a  miracle  of  the  divine  goodness  am  I !  The  last 
year  has  been  one  of  much  mercy.  My  health  has  much 
improved,  so  that  I  have  gained  ten  pounds  in  weight,  am 
able  to  move  about  nearly  as  well  as  ever  I  could,  to  preach 
once  every  Sabbath,  sometimes  twice,  and  attend  other 
meetings  for  the  promotion  of  the  cause  of  Christ.  After 
rising  from  bed  I  endeavored  anew  to  consecrate  myself 
to  God,  praising  him  for  all  his  past  blessings,  and  pray- 
ing him  to  accept  the  offering  I  thus  make  to  him,  whose 
I  am,  and  whom  I  endeavor  to  serve  in  the  spirit.  I  do 
feel  indeed  that  he  accepts  me,  unworthy  as  I  am  ;  that 
he  lifts  up  the  light  of  his  countenance  upon  my  soul 
and  gives  me  peace.  O  that  my  heart,  as  well  as  my 
Hps,  may  praise  him. 

"  '  God  of  my  life,  to  thee 
My  cheerful  soul  I  give ! 
Thy  goodness  bade  me  be, 
And  still  prolongs  my  days : 
I  see  my  natal  hour  return, 
And  bless  the  day  that  I  was  born.'  " 

He  was  able  to  attend  several  camp-meetings  this  sum- 
mer, preaching  at  them  all,  and  enjoying  their  social  and 
Christian  privileges  with  the  zest  of  earlier  years.  lie 
was  reminded  occasionally,  however,  of  his  advancing  age 
by  the  return  of  his  former  symptoms  of  cerebral  conges- 
tion, sometimes  suffering  brief  periods  of  unconsciousness. 
"  In  all  things,"  however,  he  "  gives  thanks."  "  Indeed," 
he  writes,  "  often  when  I  kneel  before  the  Lord  in 
secret  my  prayer  is  turned  into  praise,  so  that  I  cannot 
25 


386 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


but  tliank  God  with  a  full  and  overflowing  heart  for 
his  numerous  acts  of  loving-kindness  manifested  to  me 
and  mine.    Glory !  glory  be  to  God  most  high !" 

Thus  pass  slowly  and  tranquilly  his  declining  years ; 
they  are  seldom  marked  now  by  any  very  salient  events, 
and  their  peaceful  tenor,  full  of  quiet  enjoyment  and 
moral  beauty,  is  sufficiently  indicated  by  the  occasional 
citations  already  given.  Pages  could  be  filled  with  simi- 
lar passages  ;  they  would,  however,  not  only  be  super- 
fluous, but  monotonous,  notwithstanding  their  devout 
spirit.  Let  us  then  pass  rapidly  along  his  remaining 
course,  pausing  only  at  its  most  marked  incidents. 

OLD  REMINISCENCES. 

In  the  spring  of  1855  he  received  the  following  letter 
— full  of  grateful  reminiscences — from  his  early  cola- 
borer  in  Canada,  the  veteran  William  Case : 

"Alnwick,  March  16,  1855. 

"Reverend  and  Dear  Brother:  What  scenes  and 
changes  have  passed  since  we  commenced  our  ministry  ! 
Most  of  our  early  associates  in  the  ministry  in  this  coun- 
try have  passed  triumphantly  to  the  great  reward  ;  yet 
the  Church  is  supplied  abundantly  and  ably.  The  mem- 
bership, too,  have  increased  from  scores  to  hundreds  and 
thousands.  Once  we  addressed  the  few  in  private 
dwellings  ;  larger  assemblies  were  congregated  in  barns, 
for  churches  were  'few  and  far  between.'  We  now 
preach  to  thousands;  churches  have  arisen,  large  and 
numerous,  in  our  cities,  towns,  and  circuits  !  Brother, 
after  more  than  half  a  century  of  toil,  you,  perhaps,  are 
scarcely  able  to  visit  the  scenes  of  your  former  labors. 
Would  it  not  be  delightful  to  do  so  ?  Your  appearance 
among  the  descendants  of  your  early  Christian  friends 
Avould  fill  them  with  delight;  and  could  you  not  do  more 
for  God  and  the  Church  by  traveling  at  large  than  by 
tracing  a  thousand  times  the  streets  of  a  city  ?  Your 


NATHAN  BANGS,  L».D. 


387 


experience  in  the  things  of  God,  your  counsel  in  the 
interests  of  the  Church,  would  have  its  influence  favor- 
ably in  the  closing  scene  of  so  lengthened  a  ministerial 
course.  Could  you  not  again  visit  Canada,  the  land  of 
your  youth,  of  your  conversion  to  God,  your  early  min- 
istry, and  of  the  mission  field  you  have  aided  to  culti- 
vate ?  The  railroad  would  bring  you  to  Kingston  or  to 
Hamilton  in  a  few  hours.  Once  we  toiled  on  horseback 
through  wild  forests,  from  two  and  a  half  to  four  miles  an 
hour ;  now  forty  miles  is  the  speed  we  move  !  Brother, 
try  it  before  leaving  for  the  'fairer  climes.'  Sickness 
prevented  last  season  your  meeting  your  appointment  in 
Toronto.  Perhaps  you  may  be  with  us  at  our  Confer- 
ence in  London  the  first  Wednesday  in  June.  The  two 
or  three  hundreds  of  Canada  preachers  would  be  happy 
to  meet  you  there. 

"  During  the  winter  just  passing  I  have  enjoyed  the 
unspeakable  pleasure  of  visiting  the  scenes  of  our  early 
labors,  yours  and  mine.  I  passed  through  Hallowell, 
Belleville,  Kingston,  Elizabethtown,  Brockville,  Augusta, 
Matilda,  and  thence  to  Bytown,  (Ottawa  City ;)  thence 
to  Perth  and  Wolford,  on  the  Rideau ;  then  home, 
through  a  portion  of  the  northern  new  settlements.  In 
this  route  I  found  some,  though  few,  of  our  former 
religious  friends  now  living.  Arthur  Youmans,  Rufus 
Shorey,  Mrs.  M'Lean,  (formerly  Widow  Coate,)  and 
William  Brown,  are  yet  living,  at  the  ages  of  from 
eighty  to  ninety-one.  Youmans  (at  the  latter  age)  was 
one  of  the  members  of  the  first  class  formed  in  Hal- 
lowell, January,  1793,  by  Darius  Dunham.  A  class  pa- 
per of  the  same  class  was  written  by  Elijah  Wolsey  in 
179.5.  But  the  parents  of  the  Johnsons,  Congers,  Van 
Deusens,  Robbins,  Germans,  Hufts,  Emburys,  Detlors, 
Clarkes,  Parrots,  Maddens,  Keders,  Colemans,  Hecks, 
Coons,  Brouses,  Aults,  Dulmages,  Lawrences,  are  all 
gone;  yet  they  live  in  their  examples  of  piety,  integrity, 
hospitality,  and  Christian  benevolence.    These  virtues  are 


388 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


prominent,  to  a  great  extent,  in  their  numerous  descend- 
ants. The  progeny  bears  a  striking  impress  of  their 
worthy  patriarchal  fathers. 

"You  will  remember  the  names  of  Samuel  and  Jacob 
Heck,  of  Augusta,  and  the  Emburys,  of  Bay  of 
Quinte — the  former  the  sons  of  Paul  Heck  and  his 
worthy  companion,  the  parents  of  Methodism  in  the 
city  of  New  York  and  in  America.  The  parents  are 
gone,  and  the  sons-  have  followed  them  in  the  way  of 
holiness  to  glory;  but  a  numerous  train  of  grandchild- 
ren are  pursuing  the  Christian  course  'their  fathers  trod' 
— intelligent,  pious,  and  wealthy.  '  Blessed  are  the  meek: 
for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth?  A  few  years  since  I 
visited  John  Embury  and  his  worthy  companion.  He 
was  then  ninety-eight  years  old.  The  scenes  of  early 
Methodism  in  New  York  were  vivid  in  his  recollection, 
and  he  referred  to  them  as  readily  as  if  they  had  recent- 
ly occurred.  He  said  :  '  My  uncle,  Philip  Embury,  was 
a  great  man — a  powerful  preacher — a  very  powerful 
preacher:  I  had  heard  many  ministers  before,  but  noth- 
ing reached  my  heart  till  I  heard  my  Uncle  Philip  preach. 
I  was  then  about  sixteen.  The  Lord  has  since  been 
my  trust  and  portion.  I  am  now  ninety-eight.  Yes,  my 
Uncle  Philip  was  a  great  preacher.'  After  this  interview 
he  lived  about  a  year,  and  died  suddenly,  as  he  rose 
from  prayer  in  his  family,  at  the  age  of  ninety-nine.  The 
Emburys,  Detlors,  Millers,  Maddens,  Switzers,  of  Bay 
of  Quinte,  are  numerous  and  pious,  and  some  of  them 
ministers  of  the  Gospel,  all  firmly  grounded  in  Method- 
ism. Their  Palatine  origin  is  prominent  in  their  health, 
integrity,  and  industry;  and  their  steadfast  piety  by 
Irish  training  on  Mr.  Wesley's  knee.  Old  Mrs.  Detlor, 
forty  years  ago,  told  me,  'When  a  child,  in  Ireland,  Mr. 
Wesley  took  me  on  his  knee,  when  I  sang  for  him 


"  1  Children  of  the  heavenly  King, 
As  we  journey  let  us  sing.' 


NATHAN  BANGS,  P.D. 


389 


"You  will  remember  Rev.  William  Brown,  of  Wol- 
ford,  River  Rideau.  He  was  once,  as  you  know,  one  of 
our  most  efficient  and  talented  traveling  ministers.  He 
is  now  eighty-six.  A  few  weeks  since  I  spent  a  Sabbath 
at  his  house.  He  is  yet  vigorous  in  mind,  his  voice 
pretty  clear  and  full.  He  took  part  in  the  exercises  of 
the  Quarterly  Meeting,  opened  the  love-feast,  and  ad- 
dressed the  congregation  at  the  close  of  the  sermon. 
He  spoke  of  the  early  ministers,  and  the  piety  of  our 
steadfast  saints,  who  had  gone  to  glory,  and  seemed  ani- 
mated with  the  prospect  of  soon  joining  them  in  the 
song  of  redemption." 

HIS  GOLDEN  WEDDING. 

April  23,  1856,  he  writes,  "was  the  fiftieth  annivers- 
ary of  my  wedding-day.  A  large  number  of  my  friends 
attended  at  my  son's  house."  The  following  account, 
from  the  Christian  Advocate,  will  show  how  it  was  ob- 
served :  "  A  private  social  entertainment  of  a  rare  but 
most  agreeable  character  took  place  at  the  residence  of 
Mr.  Lemuel  Bangs  on  "Wednesday  evening  of  last  week. 
The  occasion  was  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  wedding 
of  Dr.  Nathan  and  Mrs.  Mary  Bangs.  There  was 
a  large  assemblage  of  Dr.  Bangs's  personal  and  social 
friends,  who  came  to  felicitate  the  venerable  couple  at 
their  entrance  upon  the  second  half  century  of  their  mar- 
ried life.  The  doctor's  descendants  were  also  present  to 
the  second  generation,  the  infantry  of  the  family  only 
being  absent.  There  were  none  of  those  who  were 
witnesses  of  the  event  which  was  commemorated,  but 
there  were  none  upon  whom  the  occasion  did  not  exert 
a  genial  and  happy  influence.  The  pervading  spirit  was 
happily  represented  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Foster,  to  whom  an 
opportunity  was  given  in  the  course  of  the  evening,  and 
on  behalf  of  those  assembled,  to  make  a  congratulatory 
address  to  the  doctor  and  his  lady,  in  which  he  briefly, 
but  most  touchingly  expressed  the  feelings  suggested  by 


390 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


the  occasion,  and  pictured  the  contrast  between  the  wed- 
ding fifty  years  ago  and  its  anniversary  at  that  hour. 
From  1856  to  180G:  what  a  retrospect  in  the  lives  of 
those  to  whom  he  conveyed  the  greetings  and  the  kind 
wishes  of  their  assembled  friends.  To  this  congratula- 
tory address  the  doctor  made  an  appropriate  and  happy 
reply.  Dr.  Reese  and  Mrs.  Palmer  also  contributed  to 
the  festivity  by  two  appropriate  hymns,  which  were 
sung  by  the  company,  and  an  elegant  supper  concluded 
this  memorable  reunion." 

An  elegant  little  brochure,  entitled  "  Memorial  of  the 
Golden  Wedding  of  the  Rev.  Nathan  aud  Mrs.  Mary 
Bangs,  April  23,  1856,"  was  published,  giving  a  full 
account  of  the  ceremonies  of  the  occasion,  and  finely 
executed  portraits  of  the  aged  couple.  There  were 
present  one  hundred  and  eleven  persons,  including  many 
of  the  most  familiarly  known  preachers  and  laymen  of 
New  York  Methodism,  and  no  less  than  twenty-eight 
bearing  the  name  of  Bangs.  After  Rev.  Dr.  Foster  had 
addressed  to  Dr.  Bangs  the  congratulations  of  the  as- 
sembly the  doctor  replied,  sketching  somewhat  his  long 
career.  "We  have  of  course,"  he  said,  "passed  through 
some  afflictions,  and  had  our  share  of  toil  and  trials,  as 
well  as  seasons  of  prosperity  and  times  of  rejoicing  ;  but 
in  them  all  the  Lord  has  been  with  us,  to  sustain  and  com- 
fort us,  and  his  people  have  treated  us  kindly,  and  been 
ever  ready  to  supply  our  wants.  The  first  year  of  our 
marriage  we  went  to  Quebec,  where  Methodism  was 
known  only  as  a  term  of  reproach:  there  we  labored 
hard,  and  suffered  a  little  without  seeing  much  fruit  of 
our  labors,  only  so  far  as  to  open  the  way  for  our  suc- 
cessors. The  next  year  we  were  stationed  in  Montreal, 
where,  in  the  midst  of  many  privations,  God  was  with 
us  and  blessed  our  labors,  and  comforted  our  own  souls. 
The  next  year,  1808,  we  moved  to  the  United  States, 
and  were  stationed  on  the  Delaware  Circuit,  in  the  midst 
of  our  relations,  where  we  enjoyed  many  consolations. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


391 


though  the  labor  was  great.  Thence  we  went  the  next 
year  on  to  the  Durham  Circuit,  where  I  held  a  public  con- 
troversy with  a  Hopkinsian  minister,  and  wrote  the  first 
book  I  ever  published,  a  small  pamphlet  against  the 
"  Christians,"  so  called.  Those  were  then  comparatively 
new  countries,  the  rides  long,  and  the  fare  not  the  best ; 
but  the  people  were  kind,  and  the  Lord  was  with  us 
and  blessed  our  labors.  The  next  year,  1810,  we  were 
stationed  in  the  city  of  New  York,  where  there  were  only 
three  churches  and  five  preaching  places;  there  was 
only  one  parsonage,  that  in  John-street,  consequently 
we  had  to  occupy  parts  of  houses,  but  were  received  and 
treated  with  great  kindness.  All  our  wants  were  supplied 
and  God  owned  and  blessed  our  labors  abundantly. 

"  From  that  time  to  this,  with  the  exception  of  about 
eight,  years,  we  have  resided  in  this  city,  filling  various 
stations,  as  preacher,  book  agent,  editor,  corresponding 
secretary  of  the  Missionary  Society,  and  presiding  elder; 
and  O,  what  has  God  wrought  for  the  Church  since 
that  time  ! 

"In  1806,  the  year  we  were  married,  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  numbered  130,570;  it  now  numbers, 
including  the  North  and  South,  1,320,566.  And  what 
abundant  cause  have  we,  personally,  for  gratitude ! 
During  all  this  time  God  has  been  with  us  in  adversity 
and  prosperity,  supplying  our  wants  in  the  time  of  need, 
blessing  us  temporally  and  spiritually,  lengthening  out 
our  years — my  own  to  seventy-eight,  and  my  wife's  to 
sixty-eight — bearing  with  our  infirmities  ;  and  though  we 
have  had  our  share  of  afflictions  of  body  and  mind,  our 
consolations  have  been  great,  and  we  have  found  that 
all  things  have  worked  together  for  our  good.  ■ 

"  My  beloved  wife  has  been  a  fruitful  vine.  We  have 
had  eleven  children,  six  sons  and  five  daughters,  and  we 
have  fifteen  grandchildren.  Seven  of  our  children  are 
now  living,  five  sons  and  two  daughters ;  and  four  of  our 
sons  are  married,  and  live  near  by  us.    In  the  house  of 


392 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


the  oldest  of  these  we  are  now  assembled,  surrounded 
by  the  rest  of  my  children  and  grandchildren,  all  who 
are  able  to  be  here  ;  and  with  this  assemblage  of  affec- 
tionate and  Christian  friends  we  are  permitted  to  cele- 
brate the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  our  wedding-clay !  I 
must  say  that  this,  if  not  the  happiest,  yet  is  one  of  the 
happiest  days  of  my  life." 

The  "  Memorial "  adds :  "  The  meeting  of  early  friends, 
whom  circumstances  and  the  varied  interests  of  life  had. 
separated  for  many  years,  was  most  cordial  and  sincere  ; 
the  friendly  grasp  of  hands,  and  the  hearty  recognition 
of  faces  long  unseen,  led  to  many  exclamations  of  happy 
surprise,  and  presented  altogether  a  scene  rarely  to  be 
met  with.  From  every  part  of  the  city  were  observed 
those  who  were  early  engaged  in  the  service  of  the 
Church,  well  known  to  each  other,  but  not  often  meeting 
around  the  social  board.  The  old,  the  middle-aged,  the 
young,  were  alike  represented,  and  all  alike  were  enthu- 
siastically alive  to  the  interest  of  the  occasion.  In  the 
midst  of  this  friendly  enthusiasm  supper  was  announced, 
when  the  company  partook  of  the  rich  repast  and  soon 
after  separated  for  home.  Thus  ended  this  rare  festive 
occasion,  owing  much  of  its  interest  to  the  eldest  beloved 
daughter-in-law  of  the  aged  couple.  At  her  suggestion  it 
was  commenced,  and  through  her  perseverance  and  hap- 
py management  it  was  gracefully  accomplished." 

DEATH  OF  ANOTHER  SON. 

The  next  domestic  event  noticed  in  his  journals  is  one 
of  the  shades  of  the  serene  picture.  "  My  dear  son 
Nathan  died  on  the  lYth  of  December,  1856.  I  was 
with  him  much  of  the  time  during  his  sickness,  and  of 
course  witnessed  his  sufferings,  and  could  but  sympathize 
with  his  sorrowing  wife.  He  was,  indeed,  a  remarkable 
child  in  some  respects,  for  I  do  not  remember  of  his  ever 
having  given  me  a  cross  word,  but  until  he  set  up  busi- 
ness for  himself  my  word  was  his  law."    The  following 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


393 


obituary,  written  by  Rev.  Dr.  Foster,  gives  a  true  ac- 
count of  his  character,  conversion,  and  death. 

"He  was  born  October  21,  1813,  in  Sharon,  Connecti- 
cut, and  died  of  erysipelas  on  the  17th  of  December, 
in  the  city  of  Xew  York.  Though  naturally  of  a  most 
amiable  and  lovely  character,  and  scrupulously  careful  in 
the  observance  of  all  the  requirements  of  an  elevated 
standard  of  morality — one  of  the  best  of  sons,  kindest 
of  husbands,  and  most  upright  of  citizens — it  was  not 
until  August,  1855,  in  the  forty-second  year  of  his  age, 
that  he  made  a  profession  of  religion.  Always  gentle 
and  quiet  in  his  disposition,  regular  in  his  habits,  and 
punctual  in  attendance  upon  the  public  worship  of  God, 
his  religious  life  was  scarcely,  in  its  external  manifesta- 
tions, attended  with  any  observable  change.  The  marked 
change  was  in  his  interior  experience.  His  soul  was 
brought  into  living,  conscious  communion  with  God,  and 
he  was  enabled  to  feel  that  he  was  a  child  of  God  and  an 
heir  of  heaven.  A  short  time  before  his  death  he  re- 
marked to  his  father,  '  I  have  been  under  a  gloom  for 
three  or  four  days,  but  now  all  is  peace  and  tranquillity, 
and  I  am  perfectly  resigned  to  the  will  of  God.'  "This 
was  his  dying  testimony,  as  he  shortly  afterward  became 
incapable  of  communicating  with  those  who  watched 
mournfully  about  his  dying  bed.  The  large  class  of  in- 
telligent gentlemen  connected  with  the  book  trade  in  its 
various  departments  throughout  the  country  will  long 
cherish  his  memory  as  a  most  worthy  member  of  their 
fraternity,  and  as  an  ornament  of  the  great  business  firm 
of  which  he  was  a  prominent  member,  that  of  Bangs, 
Brother,  &  Co.  His  funeral  was  numerously  attended 
by  a  thoughtful  and  sorrowing  public." 

The  death  of  this  son  was  a  severe  blow  to  the  father. 
He  bore  the  father's  name  and  honored  it  in  the  business 
world  in  the  highest  department  of  mercantile  life,  the 
book  trade.  At  the  sixty-fifth  Annual  Trade  Sale  ex- 
Mayor  James  Harper,  of  the  house  of  Harper  &  Brothers, 


391 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


addressed  the  assemblage  respecting  the  deceased.  "We 
all,"  he  said,  "knew  him,  and  not  only  respected  him  in 
our  business  relations,  but  we  cherished  the  highest  es- 
teem for  him  personally  as  a  true-hearted  man.  I  knew 
him  intimately  for  many  years  ;  my  associations  with  him 
are  now  hallowed  by  his  death.  The  recollection  of  them 
saddens  me,  especially  on  an  occasion  like  the  present, 
when  I  see  so  many  old  friends  and  familiar  faces.  Most 
of  us  now  present  were  also  here  in  September  last,  a 
little  more  than  six  months  ago.  Our  deceased  friend 
was  here  among  us.  Successive  trade  sales  have  made 
us  long  familiar  with  his  tall,  active  form — his  straight- 
forward, manly  look — his  energetic  business  capacities 
— his  courteous  and  amiable  demeanor.  At  each  sale  we 
had  been  welcomed  by  the  hearty,  frank  grasp  of  a  true 
hand,  always  acting  from  a  warm,  true  heart.  That 
hand  now  lies  cold  in  death.  He  was  in  the  prime  of 
vigorous  manhood,  dearly  beloved  by  his  family  and 
friends,  endeared  to  them  by  many  domestic  virtues. 
Possessed  of  rare  tact,  energy,  and  perseverance,  and  of 
a  high  sense  of  justice  and  honor,  he  was  an  ornament  to 
our  trade.  God,  in  his  all-wise  providence,  has  seen  fit 
to  suddenly  remove  him  from  among  us.  Let  us  fondly 
cherish  the  memory  of  our  deceased  friend.  Let  us  also 
cherish  it  worthily,  by  resolving  that  our  intercourse 
with  one  another  shall  be  kindly  and  amicable,  so  that  if 
before  we  meet  again  death  should  remove  another  from 
among  us,  our  remembrance  of  the  departed  one  may  be 
as  kindly  and  pleasant  as  our  remembrance  now  is  of  our 
late  esteemed  friend  and  brother,  Nathan  Bangs,  Jr." 

Resolutions  of  respect  for  his  memory  were  also  passed 
on  this  occasion. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


895 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

PEACE  IN  SUFFERING. 

Ox  the  18th  of  February,  1857,  Dr.  Bangs  records 
in  his  journal :  "  I  have  been  very  sick.  About  six 
weeks  ago  I  was  suddenly  seized  with  chills  and  fever, 
shook  all  over  like  an  aspen  leaf,  and  soon  seemed  con- 
suming with  a  hot  fever.  A  homeopathic  physician,  Dr. 
Palmer,  was  sent  for,  and  in  about  three  hours,  by  the 
blessing  of  God,  he  succeeded  in  subduing  the  fever  by 
inducing  a  profuse  perspiration,  so  that  I  was  measurably 
relieved.  When  I  came  to  myself,  for  I  was  delirious, 
I  found  my  children  standing  around  my  bed  watching 
me  with  great  anxiety,  for  they  thought  me  in  danger. 
In  the  midst  of  my  bodily  distress  my  soul  was  wonder- 
fully borne  up  with  the  consolations  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  I  could  joyfully  exclaim,  in  the  strong  language  of 
John  Wesley  : 

"  '  O  Love,  thou  bottomless  abyss  I 

My  sins  are  swallowed  up  in  thee  ; 
Cover'd  is  my  unrighteousness, 

Nor  spot  of  guilt  remains  on  me  : 
While  Jesus'  blood,  through  earth  and  skies, 
Mercy,  free,  boundless  mercy,  cries.' 

"I  had  three  attacks,  one  every  second  day,  of  this 
dreadful  fever,  though  the  last  was  comparatively  slight. 
When  it  left  me  my  strength  was  much  prostrated;  but  I 
was  free  from  pain,  my  mind  buoyant,  and  my  heart  filled 
with  love  to  God  and  man.  Every  night  when  I  laid  me 
down  to  rest  these  words  came  sweetly  to  my  mind, 

"  '  Jesus  protects  ;  my  fears,  begone  : 

What  can  the  Rock  of  Ages  move  ? 
Safe  in  thy  arms  I  lay  me  down,— 

Thine  everlasting  arms  of  love,' 


396 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


and  I  could  calmly  resign  myself  to  the  care  of  the  Divine 
love,  and  rest  without  any  fear.  Nay,  I  could  look  upon 
death  with  pleasure,  having  not  only  no  fears,  but  a  joy- 
ful anticipation  of  future  bliss,  and  the  pleasure  of  meet- 
ing the  friends  of  Jesus  who  had  gone  before  me  into 
the  land  of  rest." 

RELATIONS  OF  FAITH  AND  SANCTIFICATION. 

"March  15. — On  the  10th  inst.  I  attended  a  meeting  for 
the  promotion  of  holiness  at  Mrs.  Palmer's.  This  I  did 
in  the  spirit  of  self-sacrifice,  as  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  speak 
against  certain  theories  which  have  sometimes  been 
broached  there  and  elsewhere.  I  prayed  most  earnestly 
to  God  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  direct  my  thoughts 
and  words,  so  that  I  might  speak  forth  the  words  of 
'  truth  and  soberness  '  in  love  and  meekness.  I  rose  un- 
der a  trembling  sense  of  my  responsibility,  and  remarked 
that  I  had  been  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  for  about  fifty- 
six  years  ;  that  I  was  converted  or  justified  about  fifty- 
seven  years  ago,  and  in  about  six  months  afterward  re- 
ceived the  blessing  of  sanctification  ;  that  both  blessings 
were  so  clear,  and  the  evidence  of  them  so  distinct,  that 
I  have  never  had  any  doubt  of  them  from  that  day  to 
this,  though  I  must  confess,  to  my  shame,  that  I  have 
not  lived  in  the  enjoyment  of  sanctification  at  all  times 
since ;  yet  whenever  I  recurred  to  it,  either  in  conversa- 
tion or  preaching,  it  always  set  my  soul  on  fire. 

"I  did  not  make  up  my  judgment  on  this  subject 
hastily.  In  addition  to  reading  the  sacred  Scriptures 
with  diligence  and  prayer,  and  conversing  with  God's  peo- 
ple in  reference  to  it,  I  read  Mr.  Wesley's  '  Plain 
Account  of  Christian  Perfection,'  some  portions  of  Mr. 
Fletcher's  writings  on  the  subject,  and  was  fully  con- 
vinced of  its  necessity,  nature,  and  fruits,  so  that  I 
sought  it  understanding^,  and  found  it,  to  the  joy  of  my 
heart.  From  that  day  to  this  I  have  read  most  that  has 
been  written  by  various  authors,  in  our  own  and  other 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.I). 


397 


eomnnmons,  on  the  subject  of  holiness,  and  I  am  not 
conscious  of  having  deviated  dining  the  fifty-six  years 
of  my  ministry  from  the  theory  marked  oat  by  Mr. 
Wesley,  which  I  first  embraced.  On  the  contrary, 
everything  I  have  heard  or  read,  whether  written  by 
enemies  or  friends,  has  only  confirmed  me  in  the  correct- 
ness of  Mr.  Wesley's  views. 

"  I  fully  believe  that  we  are  both  justified  and  sancti- 
fied by  grace,  through  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  that  when  so  justified  or  sanctified  the  Holy  Spirit 
sets  his  seal  upon  our  hearts,  and  gives  us  an  evidence 
that  the  work  is  done.  All  those  Scriptures,  therefore, 
which  speak  of  the  necessity  of  having  faith  in  God, 
of  believing  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  etc.,  I  need 
hardly  say  I  fully  embrace,  and  urge  upon  others 
as  necessary  conditions  of  justification  Sod  sancti- 
fication.  But  what  is  this  faith  by  which  the  believer  is 
sanctified  ?  Though  the  holy  Scriptures  frequently 
speak  of  faith,  and  urge  its  necessity,  saying  that  '  with- 
out faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  Him,'  yet  I  rec- 
ollect but  one  place  in  which  a  definition  of  faith  is 
given,  and  that  is  Heb.  xi,  1,  where  it  is  said  'Now 
faith  is  the  substance  of  things  hoped  for,  and  the  evi- 
dence of  things  not  seen.' 

"  The  substance  of  things  hoped  for !  What  are  the 
things  hoped  for  ?  They  are  everything  future  to  the 
Christian  ;  that  is,  heaven  with  all  its  glories,  embracing 
every  intermediate  blessing  necessary  to  fit  us  for  that 
holy  and  happy  place.  Now,  it  seems  hardly  proper  to 
say  that  faith  is  now  the  substance  of  all  these  divine 
realities,  as  though  we  had  them  already  in  possession. 
This  could  not  have  been  the  meaning  of  the  apostle.  I 
think,  therefore,  with  many  good  critics,  that  the 
Greek  word  there  rendered  substance  should  have  been 
translated  confidence,  as  it  is  so  translated  in  a  number 
of  other  places  in  the  sacred  Scriptures.  Thus  rendered 
the  sense  will  be  clear  and  complete  '  '  Now  faith  is  the 


398 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


confidence  of  things  hoped  for,  and  the  evidence  of  things 
not  seen;'  that  is  to  say,  all  the  veterans  whom  the 
apostle  enumerates  in  the  subsequent  parts  of  that  chap- 
ter, as  well  as  all  others,  have  had  the  fullest  confidence  in 
the  truth  of  God's  promises  which  relate  to  future  glory, 
and,  of  course,  have  had  an  evidence  through  the  same  me- 
dium; that  is,  a  firm  confidence  in  the  truth  of  God  re- 
specting these  things. 

"In  exact  conformity  with  this  inspired  definition  of 
faith,  Mr.  Wesley  gives  the  following  definition  of  the 
faith  which  instrumentally  sanctifies  the  soul :  '  But  what 
is  that  faith  whereby  we  are  sanctified,  saved  from 
sin,  and  perfected  in  love?  1.  It  is  a  divine  evidence 
and  conviction  that  God  hath  promised  it  in  the  holy 
Scriptures.  Till  we  are  thoroughly  convinced  of  this, 
there  is  no  moving  one  step  further.  2.  It  is  a  divine 
evidence  and  conviction  that  what  God  has  promised  he 
is  able  to  perform.  3.  It  is  a  divine  evidence  and  con- 
viction that  he  is  able  and  willing  to  do  it  now.  To  this 
confidence,  that  God  is  both  able  and  willing  to  sanctify 
us  now,  there  needs  to  be  added  one  thing  more,  a  divine 
evidence  and  conviction  that  he  doth  it.'' 

"  This  definition  is  quoted  by  Mr.  Fletcher  with  ap- 
probation, and  therefore  he  sets  his  seal  to  its  correct- 
ness. Now,  it  is  most  manifest  that  Mr.  Wesley  consid- 
ered that  the  faith  by  which  we  are  sanctified  is  insepar- 
ably connected  with  a  divine  evidence  and  conviction 
that  the  work  is  done ;  and  hence  the  theory  which 
teaches  that  we  are  to  lay  all  upon  the  altar  or  surrender  up 
our  hearts  to  God  by  faith  in  Christ,  and  then  believe 
that  God  has  accepted,  or  does  accept  the  offering,  with- 
out our  having  any  evidence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  it 
is  accepted,  or  having  any  change  in  our  disposition,  or 
any  emotion  of  joy  and  peace,  more  than  we  had  before, 
is  not  sound,  is  unscriptural,  and  anti-Wesleyan ;  for 
the  Scriptures  assert  that  'he  that  believeth  on  the  Son 
of  God  hath  the  witness  in  himself ;'  and  Mr.  Wesley 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


399 


says  in  the  above  definition  that  'faith  is  a  divine  evi- 
dence and  conviction  that  God  hath  promised  to  sanctify- 
all  those  that  come  unto  him  ;  that  he  is  both  able  and  will- 
ing to  do  it,  to  do  it  now,  and  lastly  that  he  doth  it?  All 
this  is  accompanied  with  a  divine  evidence  and  convic- 
tion that  the  work  is  done  ;  and  hence,  according  to  him, 
if  we  believe  it  is  done  before  we  have  this  divine  evi- 
dence and  conviction,  we  believe  without  evidence,  and 
are  therefore  every  moment  liable  to  deception. 

"  But  in  opposition  to  this  view  it  is  asserted  that  we 
have  the  Holy  Scriptures  as  an  evidence  of  the  work, 
and  Abraham  is  cited,  who  'believed  God,  and  it  was 
counted  to  him  for  righteousness.'  But  Abraham  did 
not  derive  his  faith  from  the  Holy  Scriptures,  for  they 
were  not  written  until  more  than  four  hundred  years 
after  his  time.  It  is  stated  in  Gen.  xv  that  the  word  of 
the  Lord  came  unto  Abram  in  a  vision,  and  during  the  in- 
terview with  this  '  word  of  the  Lord ' — probably  the  Lord 
Jesus  himself — the  promise  was  made  to  Abram  that  he 
should  have  an  heir  in  his  old  age.  This  he  firmly  be- 
lieved, and  this  faith  was  reckoned  unto  him  for  right- 
eousness. Let  God  appear  to  us,  and  speak  to  our  hearts 
through  whatever  medium,  and  bear  witness  to  our 
spirits  that  we  are  justified  or  sanctified,  and  then,  and 
not  till  then,  are  we  authorized  to  believe  it.  In  the 
very  nature  of  things  a  fact,  and  its  evidence  must  precede 
the  belief  in  it  and  its  evidence,  otherwise  we  make  the 
existence  of  the  fact  depend  upon  our  faith,  which  is 
simply  absurd.  We  must,  therefore,  be  sanctified,  and 
have  an  evidence  of  it  before  we  have  any  scriptural 
authority  to  believe  it ;  so  it  appears  to  me,  for  the 
existence  of  the  fact  and  its  evidence  must  precede  our 
belief  in  their  reality,  otherwise  we  may  believe  as  whim 
or  fancy  may  dictate,  having  no  foundation  for  our  faith. 

"To  the  assertion  that  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  our  evi- 
dence I  answer  that  the  Holy  Scriptures,  though  true 
and  infallible,  arc  not  in  themselves  any  evidence  to  me 


400 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


that  I  am  cither  justified  or  sanctified;  they  simply  declare 
who  are  sanctified,  and  give  marks  or  evidences  of  tlie 
work.  For  instance,  St.  Paul  says:  ' Being  justified  by 
faith,  we  have  peace  with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.'  Here  peace  with  God  is  the  evidence  of  my 
justification.  Where  shall  I  look  for  this  peace?  Not 
in  the  Scriptures,  but  in  my  own  heart,  and  if  I  find  it 
there  I  have  a  scriptural  evidence  that  I  am  justified.  So 
St.  John  says:  'Perfect  love  casteth  out  fear'  that  hath 
torment.  This  also  I  must  find,  if  anywhere,  in  my  own 
heart.  Do  I  then,  by  careful  examination,  find  that  I  am 
delivered  from  the  slavish  fear  of  death  and  hell,  of  men 
and  devils,  and  of  the  judgment?  If  so  I  have  reason, 
on  scriptural  ground,  to  conclude  myself  sanctified,  more 
especially  if  I  bring  forth  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  in  my 
tempers  and  dispositions,  and  keep  the  commandments 
of  God.  These  and  such  like  evidences  of  sanctification 
were  enlarged  upon,  and  pressed  home  upon  all  present. 

"  But  it  is  possible  that  I  am  deceived.  How  shall  I 
detect  deception  ?  I  answer,  The  Holy  Scripture  has 
furnished  me  with  a  test.  Do  I  bring  forth  the  fruits  of 
the  Spirit — 'love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness, 
goodness,  faith,  meekness,  temperance?'  If  these  fruits 
'  be  in  me,  and  abound,'  then  I  have  a  right  to  believe 
that  I  have  that  Holy  Spirit  that  produces  them,  for  such 
is  their  excellence  that  the  apostle  says,  'Against  such 
there  is  no  law,'  either  of  God  or  man.  This  test  is 
given  both  to  prove  the  truth  of  our  sanctification,  and 
also  to  detect  deception  should  there  be  any,  for  'the 
tree  is  known  by  its  fruits.' 

"  I  have  referred  to  Abraham.  After  the  messengers 
left  him  he  offered  a  sacrifice  to  God.  This  sacrifice,  as 
well  as  all  the  sacrifices  under  the  Mosaic  law,  was  typ- 
ical of  the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  and  they  had  their  complete 
fulfillment  when  he  died  upon  the  cross,  so  that  'he  is  the 
end  of  the  law  to  every  one  that  believeth,'  that  is,  the 
law  of  sacrifices  had  its  end  completely  accomplished  by 


NATIIAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


401 


the  sacrifice  of  Christ  upon  the  cross ;  and  hence,  all  we 
have  to  do  in  order  to  salvation,  including  justification 
and  sanctification,  is  to  receive  him  by  faith,  and  when  we 
thus  receive  him  we  are  so  saved,  and  have  an  evidence 
of  it  by  the  internal  testimony  of  the  Spirit. 

"  But  this  faith  is  always  accompanied  by  works. 
Even  the  penitent  sinner,  seeking  the  pardon  of  his  sins, 
must  repent  and  '  do  works  meet  for  repentance ;'  he 
must  '  cease  to  do  evil,  and  learn  to  do  well,'  according 
to  his  light  and  opportunity.  And  the  penitent  believer 
must  '  walk  in  the  light,  as  God  is  in  the  light ;'  that  is, 
he  must  go  forward  in  every  good  word  and  work,  'grow 
in  grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  Jesus,'  in 
order  to  exercise  that  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  by  which  he 
obtains  the  sanctifying  love  of  God,  and  this  is  accord- 
ing to  the  scriptural  representation  of  the  faith  of  Abra- 
ham. '  Seest  thou  how  faith  wrought  together  with  his 
works,  and  by  works  was  faith  made  perfect.'  This 
was  the  substance  of  what  I  said,  as  nearly  as  I  can  rec- 
ollect it,  and  I  believe  my  memory  does  not  fail  me,  for 
it  was  deeply  impressed  upon  my  heart,  and  I  had  delib- 
erated for  some  days  on  the  subject  and  thoroughly  di- 
gested it  in  my  mind  ;  had  prayed  over  it,  most  earnestly 
had  prayed  God  to  direct  my  thoughts  and  words,  that  I 
Blight  speak  according  to  his  will  and  word.  I  arose 
under  a  trembling  sense  of  my  responsibility,  and  spoke, 
I  fully  believe,  in  the  fear  and  love  of  God  with  all  the 
deliberation  I  could  command,  knowing  that  I  must  give 
an  account  in  the  great  day  for  my  words.  I  felt,  indeed, 
the  vows  of  God  upon  me,  and  spoke  as  a  minister  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  even  in  his  name,  who  had  accounted 
me  worthy  to  be  put  in  trust  with  the  Gospel.  I  there- 
fore solemnly  warned  those  who  professed  to  believe  that 
merely  because  they  had  laid  all  upon  the  altar,  or  had 
surrendered  up  their  hearts  to  God,  he  had  adopted 
them,  without  any  evidence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  they 
were  adopted,  or  any  change  in  their  disposition,  or  any 
26 


402 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


emotion  of  love  and  joy,  to  beware  that  they  did  not  de- 
ceive themselves,  as  I  greatly  feared  some  had  done ;  for 
if  this  be  all  that  is  required  of  us,  namely,  to  believe 
that  we  are  accepted  before  we  have  a  witness  that  we 
are,  it  is  to  believe  without  evidence,  and  hence  I  fully  be- 
lieve that  many  have  been  deceived  and  are  deceiving 
themselves  daily.  I  therefore  exhorted  them  to  examine 
themselves  carefully  and  prayerfully,  and  not  to  rest 
satisfied  with  anything  short  of  the  witness  and  fruits  of 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

"I  ought,  perhaps,  to  add  that  I  do  not  think,  nor 
did  I  intend  to  insinuate,  that  all  Avho  thus  speak  are  de- 
ceived. Their  hearts  are  better  than  their  heads,  and 
how  far  God  may  make  allowance  for  merely  mental 
errors  is  not  for  me  to  say ;  but  this  I  know,  that  he 
bears  much  and  long  with  such  infirmities,  or  he  would 
never  have  borne  with  me  as  he  has.  Hence  we  are 
commanded  to  'bear  each  other's  infirmities,  and  so  fulfill 
the  law  of  Christ.' 

"  But  the  error  at  which  I  aim  is  not  a  mere  incidental 
error.  It  is,  in  my  judgment,  a  fundamental  one,  as  it 
strikes  at  the  root  of  experimental  religion,  for  if  I  may 
believe  myself  sanctified  without  any  evidence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  that  the  work  has  been  wrought,  I  may  be- 
lieve anything  else  before  I  have  any  evidence  of  it,  and 
this  tends  to  destroy  all  rational  and  scriptural  belief,  as  it 
supersedes  the  necessity  of  evidence  in  faith ;  I  may  be- 
lieve or  not,  as  whim  or  fancy  dictate."  * 

DEATH  OP  A  DAUGHTER. 

On  the  21st  of  October  he  lost  by  death  his  daughter, 
Mary  Eliza  Bangs — one  of  the  dearest  of  his  children. 
One  of  her  intimate  friends  f  writes :  "  She  was  born  at 
Khinebeck,  N.Y.,  October  31,1815,  and  from  her  infancy 

*  Dr.  Bangs  left  a  written  charge  that  if  any  public  use  should  be 
made  of  his  manuscript  journal  this  important  passage  should  not  bo 
omitted. 

t  Mrs.  C.  R.  Deuel  Wright. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


403 


may  be  said  to  have  been  a  child  of  God,  for  at  her  baptism 
such  a  heavenly  influence  rested  upon  those  assembled 
that  the  Rev.  Freeborn  Garrettson,  who  baptized  her, 
remarked,  '  I  had  such  nearness  to  God  while  praying  for 
that  infant  that  I  believe  the  Lord  regenerated  her  soul 
in  the  baptismal  rite.'  During  her  early  childhood  she 
evinced  great  seriousness  of  thought,  ofttimes  surprising 
her  parents  with  the  depth  of  her  remarks  on  religious 
subjects,  causing  them  to  feel  that  their  little  daughter 
was  indeed  a  child  of  rare  excellence  and  acquirements. 
"When  she  was  in  her  thirteenth  year  she  felt  the  need 
of  a  direct  witness  of  the  Spirit  that  she  was  indeed 
born  again.  She  sought  the  Lord  with  all  her  heart,  and 
was  most  powerfully  blessed  with  the  assurance  of  her 
adoption.  To  use  her  own  expression,  'I  felt  that  all 
within  and  without  praised  the  Lord  the  most  high ; 
even  the  trees  of  the  grove  seemed  to  break  forth  in  re- 
joicing.' From  that  time  until  her  death  she  never  lost 
the  witness  that  she  was  a  child  of  God.  A  short  time 
after  her  conversion  her  mother's  health  became  feeble, 
and,  young  as  she  was,  she  manifested  so  much  stability 
of  character,  united  with  mature  judgment,  that  her 
parents  felt  no  hesitancy  in  confiding  to  her  the  culture 
and  training,  to  a  great  degree,  of  the  younger  children, 
and  thus  early  she  was  taught  the  lesson  of  self-sacrifice, 
which  so  eminently  characterized  her  through  life.  Added 
to  this  charge,  the  wife  of  a  beloved  brother  died,  leav- 
ing an  infant  son,  who  was  placed  under  her  care,  and 
upon  whom  she  bestowed  all  the  affection  and  attentions 
of  a  mother.  A  few  years  elapsed  when  a  second  brother 
met  with  the  same  bereavement,  and  two  more  mother- 
less children  were  added  to  her  cherishing  care,  at  her 
own  request.  Hers  was  indeed  a  love  which  knew  no 
burdens,  for  at  the  death  of  the  wife  of  her  third  brother 
the  dying  mother  gave  her  infant  to  Mary,  thus  proving 
the  strong  confidence  her  whole  family  had  in  her  capacity 
and  affection.  Thus  was  the  life  of  our  beloved  friend  spent 


404 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


in  doing  good.  In  the  Sabbath-school,  the  Bible  class, 
and  the  Class  and  prayer-meeting,  she  was  always  list- 
ened to  with  the  deepest  interest.  She  was  collected, 
serious,  yet  cheerful.  Her  surprising  gift  in  addressing 
the  throne  of  grace  often  led  her  father  to  call  upon  her 
to  conduct  the  religious  devotions  of  family  worship. 
Her  paternal  uncle  remarked  on  the  day  of  her  death  that 
he  had  never  known  her  to  speak  ill  of  a  human  being. 
She  had  been  so  long  taught  in  the  school  of  self-sacrifice, 
that  she  seemed  to  have  an  abiding  resignation  to  the  will 
of  her  heavenly  Father,  and  when  called  to  part  by  death 
with  one  after  another  of  her  brothers  and  sisters,  she 
would  say,  '  I  must  resign  them ;  I  must  not  murmur ;  He 
who  loves  me  knows  what  is  best,  and  we  ought,  as  Chris- 
tians, under  every  circumstance  of  life,  to  learn  to  say, 
'  Good  is  the  will  of  the  Lord.'  For  several  years  her 
health  seemed  to  decline,  but  she  continued  to  adminis- 
ter to  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  all  around  her,  in 
entire  forgetfulness  of  self,  and  when  urged  to  take  less 
care  of  others  and  more  of  herself,  would  reply,  '  I  shall 
soon  be  better ;  it  is  only  temporary.'  On  the  morning 
of  her  death  we  found  she  was  fast  sinking.  She  re- 
marked, '  How  weak  and  helpless  we  are  when  sickness 
takes  hold  of  us.'  We  repeated  the  words,  '  But  Jesus 
does  make  a  dying  bed  feel  soft  as  downy  pillows  are.' 
She  turned  to  the  friend  addressing  her,  and  asked,  '  Do 
you  think  I  am  dying  ?'  She  replied,  '  Dear  Mary,  you 
will  soon  be  in  the  celestial  city ;  you  are  going  home 
to  die  no  more.'  '  Do  you  think  so  ?'  was  the  calm  and 
significant  reply.  'I  am  willing,  for  the  Lord  always 
knows  what  is  best  for  me,  and  his  will,  not  mine,  be 
done.'  A  little  while  after  another  friend  came  to  her 
bedside,  and  commenced  repeating,  'Though  I  walk 
through  the  valley  and  shadow  of  death,'  etc.  Mary 
took  up  the  words  of  the  verse,  and  repeated  them 
several  times,  laying  great  stress  on  the  words,  '  his  rod 
and  his  staff,  they  comfort  me.'    An  hour  or  two  after 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


405 


she  said  she  had  such  a  view  of  her  future  home  that  she 
felt  she  would  soon  be  with  her  Lord  and  Saviour.  To 
her  afflicted  mother  she  said,  '  Don't  weep  for  me ;  it 
won't  be  long ;  you  will  soon  come.'  She  asked  for  her 
sister,  and  putting  her  arm  around  her  neck,  as  if  to  leave 
some  parting  wish,  said,  'Dear  Rebecca,  live  only  for 
heaven.  I  know  you  are  striving,  but  go  on.'  About 
one  hour  before  her  death  her  uucle,  Rev.  Heman  Bangs, 
approached  the  bed,  and  taking  her  hand,  said,  'My 
dear  child,  if  Jesus  is  precious  to  you  now,  press  my 
hand.'  She  made  an  effort  to  speak,  and,  her  lips  being 
moistened,  replied  distinctly,  '  O  yes,  yes  ;  unspeakably 
so.'  She  then  sank  into  a  sweet  repose,  and  seemed 
conversing  with  some  invisible  friend,  and  would  answer, 
'  Yes,  O  yes.'  We  scarcely  knew  when  the  spirit  left 
the  body ;  it  did  not  seem  like  death,  but  a  transition 
from  '  God  on  earth  to  God  in  heaven.' " 

"  I  do  not  know,"  writes  the  afflicted  father,  "  that  I 
ever  had  a  greater  struggle  of  soul  than  I  had  during  her 
sickness,  it  seeming  impossible  to  resign  her  up  to  death. 
Indeed,  she  was  so  entwined  around  my  heart  that  it 
seemed  like  cutting  its  strings  asunder  to  surrender  her 
to  the  grave.  I  accordingly  now  pleaded  earnestly  with 
God  in  prayer  that  he  would,  if  possible  consistently  with 
his  will,  spare  her  valuable  life,  and  I  sometimes  persuaded 
myself  to  believe  she  would  recover ;  but  when  I  saw 
that  all  hope  of  this  was  fled,  I  cheerfully  resigned  her 
up  to  God;  and  when  her  breath  was  gone,  I  shouted 
out,  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest !  I  could  hardly  refrain 
from  so  doing,  for  I  felt  that  I  had  another  jewel  in  the 
Saviour's  crown.  We  all  miss  her  indeed,  but  there  is 
nothing  gloomy  about  her  departure,  as  her  whole  life, 
and  more  especially  her  sickness  and  death,  were  sur- 
rounded with  a  halo  of  glory,  so  that  the  recollections 
of  her  life  and  death  are  all  pleasant,  grateful,  and 
delightful." 

Thus  did  the  veteran  linger,  while  his  children  and 


406 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


early  associates  were  departing.  On  his  next  birthday 
he  writes :  "  On  the  second  day  of  this  month,  May, 
1858,  I  completed  my  eightieth  year.  I  record  my  grati- 
tude to  God  for  his  boundless  mercy  to  me.  My  old 
companions  are  dying  off.  P.  P.  Sandford,  W.  Jewett, 
A.  Hunt,  E.  Washburn,  and  George  Coles,  all  old 
preachers,  ranging  from  seventy  to  ninety-one  years, 
have  recently  departed  in  peace,  and  I  must  soon  follow 
them.  But  I  thank  God  for  permitting  me  to  live  to  see 
this  day ;  such  a  day  as  I  never  saw  before ;  a  day  of 
general  revivals  in  America  and  Europe !" 

REVIVALS. 

He  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  revivals  which  pre- 
vailed about  this  period  ;  and  in  the  autumn  of  this  year 
he  shared  in  the  celebration  of  the  "Religious  Jubilee" 
at  the  Fulton-street  Church,  which  was  addressed  by 
Rev.  Drs.  De  Witt,  Krebs,  Gillette,  Van  Pelt,  Adams, 
and  Spring,  besides  himself.  The  temple  was  crowded, 
and  the  assembly  was  largely  composed  of  clergymen. 
Dr.  Bangs  said,  among  many  other  remarks :  "  The  re- 
cent revival  of  religion  among  us,  and  throughout  the 
country,  I  have  considered  as  a  very  remarkable  man- 
ifestation of  the  goodness  of  God.  I  have  been  in  the 
ministry  now  for  about  fifty-seven  years,  a  little  over 
fifty-seven  years,  and  I  have  seen  a  great  many  powerful 
revivals  during  that  time  in  various  parts  of  the  country, 
and  in  Canada.  Many  sinners  have  been  awakened  and 
converted,  and  believers  sanctified  ;  but  those  revivals  of 
religion  were  of  a  local  character ;  they  were  confined 
to  one  or  two  denominations,  and  they  were  opposed,  in 
fact,  by  a  great  many  professors  of  religion  as  fanati- 
cism. But  what  is  the  character  of  the  present  revival  ? 
It  is  not  confined  to  time  nor  to  place.  It  has  spread 
through  all  the  different  denominations  of  Protestant 
Christians — pretty  much  all,  I  believe;  some,  perhaps, 
have  not  shared  so  largely  in  it  as  others.    Still,  what 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


407 


has  been  the  effect  of  it  ?  Why,  sir,  we  see  the  effect  of 
it  here  to-day.  It  brings  the  different  denominations 
together,  and  makes  them  for  a  moment  forget  their  de- 
nominational peculiarities ;  it  tears  down  their  sectarian 
prejudices,  and  makes  them  feel  all  as  one.  So  I  feel, 
and  so,  I  trust,  you  feel  also.  I  feel  as  though  it  was  my 
duty  to  preach  principally  upon  experimental  and  prac- 
tical religion,  and  I  am  ready  to  give  the  right  hand  of 
fellowship  to  every  man  that  will  join  me  upon  that 
theme." 

AN  INTERESTING  SCENE. 

On  January  24, 1859,  an  emphatic  testimony  of  respect 
was  made  to  him  by  his  New  York  friends,  which  was 
reported  as  follows  in  the  public  journals  :  "  Last  Satur- 
day evening  for  a  long  time  will  live  in  the  memories 
of  the  leading  Methodists  of  the  commercial  emporium. 
Some  three  hundred  of  the  friends  of  the  venerable  Dr. 
Bangs,  now  near  eighty-one  years  old,  assembled  at  the 
house  of  Dr.  M'Clintock,  in  Irving  Place,  and  led  by 
Bishop  Janes  and  his  amiable  lady,  in  a  body  proceeded 
to  the  residence  of  L.  Bangs,  Esq.,  where  Dr.  Bangs 
now  lives,  and  soon  crowded  the  rooms  of  the  large 
domicil. 

"The  assembly  was  immediately  called  to  order,  and 
Bishop  Janes  made  a  most  impressive  address  to  the 
veteran  of  the  cross,  sitting  in  the  front  parlor,  sur- 
prised at  the  unexpected  call  of  such  a  host  of  friends. 
The  bishop  touched  on  the  leading  points  in  the  career 
of  this  eminent  servant  of  the  Church — his  early  labors 
in  Canada,  his  ministerial  work  in  bygone  days  in  the 
East,  his  long-to-be-remembered  contests  with  Calvin- 
ism. The  bishop  well  remembered  the  text  of  a  sermon 
delivered  by  the  doctor,  to  which  the  speaker  listened 
when  young  in  his  native  town.  The  doctor's  services 
as  Book  Agent,  editor  of  the  Christian  Advocate,  and  as 
an  author  were  felicitously  dwelt  upon,  the  bishop  re- 
marking that  in  his  episcopal  visitations  from  Maine  to 


408 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


Texas  he  found  Dr.  Bangs's  books  in  nearly  every  Meth- 
odist library.  The  speaker  alluded  to  the  great  age  at- 
tained by  the  worthy  subject  of  the  evening's  gathering, 
its  serenity,  and  the  many  blessings  with  which  Provi- 
dence surrounded  it.  Dr.  Bangs  was  an  exception  to  a 
peculiar  characteristic  of  old  men  ;  they  frequently  were 
the  fault-finders  with  progress,  dwelling  on  the  good 
days  that  were  gone.  Not  so  with  the  addressed  ;  he 
favored  progress.  A  head  white  with  the  snows  of  many 
winters,  but  a  young  heart,  were  his. 

"After  Bishop  Janes  ended  his  remarks,  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Carlton,  the  main-spring  of  this  delightful  move- 
ment, took  the  chair — he  stood  in  one — and  added  his 
testimony  to  that  of  Bishop  Janes  as  to  the  moral  worth, 
ministerial  usefulness,  and  purity  of  Dr.  Bangs  ;  spoke  of 
his  instructions  from  the  pulpit,  and  from  his  pen.  He 
said  that  his  numerous  friends  had  determined  to  present 
him  with  a  (what  the  speaker  called  trifling,  but  some 
may  deem  considerable,  to  wit,  two  thousand  dollars)  tes- 
timonial of  their  respect ;  that  he  thought  a  staff  or  cane 
would  be  very  comfortable  for  him  in  his  declining 
years  ;  when  the  doctor  was  young  he  could  get  along 
Avithout  one,  but  now  his  old  age  called  for  a  staff ;  that 
this  (which  Mr.  Carlton  held  up)  was  a  very  expensive 
one — it  cost  two  thousand  dollars. 

"The  venerable  recipient  of  the  gift  was  well  nigh 
overcome  by  his  feelings,  and  his  tears  at  first  prevented 
a  response.  However,  he  soon  recovered  from  his  emo- 
tions, and  in  a  very  distinct  and  audible  voice  said  he 
truly  felt  he  deserved  not  the  praises  bestowed  on  him, 
and  he  was  thankful  they  did  not  puff  him  up.  He 
knew  his  weaknesses  and  infirmities  ;  was  thankful  to  his 
friends  for  thus  having  remembered  him,  and  he  received 
the  gift  as  further  proof  of  God's  goodness  to  him.  He 
stated  that  he  had  been  fifty-eight  years  an  active  minis- 
ter of  the  Cross,  and  for  that  long  period  the  Great  Dis- 
poser of  events  had  signally  blessed  him,  and  he  still 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


409 


found  his  heavenly  Father  was  remembering  and  encir- 
cling him  with  many  loving  friends. 

"  Dr.  M'Clintock  then  lined  the  following  verses : 

"  '  Blest  are  the  sons  of  peace, 

Whose  hearts  and  hopes  are  one ; 
Whose  kind  designs  to  serve  and  please 

Through  all  their  actions  run. 

"  '  Thus  on  the  heavenly  hills 

The  saints  are  blessed  above, 
Where  joy  like  morning  dew  distills, 

And  all  the  air  is  love.' 

"This  was  sung  in  a  familiar  tune  with  good  will  and 
sonorously.  Dr.  M'Clintock  then  made  a  prayer  exactly 
fit  for  the  occasion.  During  the  services  many  faces 
were  bedewed  with  tears,  and  hearty  aniens  resounded 
through  the  rooms. 

"  The  rest  of  the  evening  was  pleasantly  spent  in  talk 
and  mutual  salutations  among  old  friends,  meeting  each 
other  after,  in  some  cases,  years  of  separation.  It  must 
not  be  omitted  that  a  bountiful  supply  of  ice-cream  and 
other  delicacies  were  furnished  to  the  guests.  The  cane 
spoken  of  is  of  ebony,  quite  large,  and  hollow,  and  con- 
tained four  hundred  five  dollar  gold  pieces.  Thus  passed 
one  of  the  pleasantest  incidents  of  my  life's  journe)r.  With 
the  best  of  poets,  (changing  one  word,)  when  my  eyes 
rested  on  the  placid  features  of  Dr.  Bangs  I  exclaimed : 

"'Let  me  embrace  thee,  good  old  chronicle, 

That  hast  so  long  walked  hand  and  hand  with  time ; 

Most  reverend  preacher,  I  am  glad  to  clasp  thee.' 

"Although  there  were  so  many  contributors,  each  be- 
ing limited  to  ten  dollars,  it  is  worthy  of  particular  no- 
tice that  the  surprise  was  a  real  one  to  the  doctor's 
household." 

The  last  entry  but  one  in  his  journal  is  on  his  birth- 
day. He  writes  in  a  scarcely  legible  hand:  " May  2, 
1860. — This  day  I  am  eighty-two  years  of  age.  My 
health  and  strength  have  much  improved  within  two  or 


410 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


three  years  past,  for  which  I  desire  to  praise  God.  My 
peace  flows  like  a  river,  and  I  feel  contented  with  my 
lot  in  the  world."  Such  was  the  genuine  Christian 
"  philosophy "  of  the  patriarch  as  the  evening  shades 
closed  quietly  around  him. 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


411 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

LAST  DATS. 

"Mark  the  perfect  man,  and  behold  the  upright:  for 
the  end  of  that  man  is  peace."  The  current  of  life 
which  we  have  thus  traced — beginning  in  the  turbulent 
if  not  turbid  restlessness  of  youth  ;  sweeping  with  widen- 
ing and  majestic  course  and  bearing  many  a  precious 
freight  through  middle  age  ;  declining  with  still  broader 
and  profounder,  though  more  tranquil  stream,  toward  its 
end — is  about  to  glide  out  peacefully  and  radiantly  into 
the  limitless  ocean. 

"  The  years  of  Dr.  Bangs's  superannuation,  since 
1852,"  writes  Dr.  M'Clintock,  "  have  been  anything  but 
idle.  Besides  numerous  contributions  to  the  various 
periodicals  of  the  Church,  he  has  published  several  books 
during  that  time — among  them  the  '  Condition,  Pros- 
pects, and  Responsibilities  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,'  18mo.  ;*    'Letters  on  Sanctification,'   18mo. ; 

*  There  is  a  slight  error  of  date  here.  I  find  the  following  list  of 
his  publications  among  Dr.  Bangs's  manuscripts :  "  1809,  A  small  pam- 
phlet against  the  Christians,  so-called,  a  copy  of  which  is  not  to  be 
found;  1815,  The  Errors  of  Hopkinsiauisni ;  1817,  Predestination  Exam- 
ined; 1818,  Reformer  Reformed;  1820,  Vindication  of  Methodist 
Episcopacy — this  year  I  was  elected  editor  and  Book  Agent;  1829,  Life 
of  the  Rev.  Freeborn  Garrettson;  1832,  History  of  Missions;  1835, 
Letters  to  a  Young  Preacher ;  1836,  The  Original  Church  of  Christ ; 
1839,  The  first  volume  of  the  History  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  ; 
1841,  The  fourth  and  last  volume  of  the  History  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  ;  1848,  Emancipation;  1850,  The  State  and  Responsibility 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church;  1S51,  Letters  on  Sanctification; 
A  Life  of  Arminius.  In  addition  to  these,  several  sermons,  one  on  the 
Dedication  of  the  John-street  Church,  1817;  Funeral  Sermon  of  Dr. 
Adam  Clarke,  1832 ;  Funeral  Sermon  of  Dr.  Fisk,  1839  ;  Centenary  of 
Methodism,  1839 ;  On  the  Division  of  the  New  York  Conference,  1843." 


412 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


and  an  '  Essay  on  Emancipation,'  8vo.  This  last  named 
work  treats  briefly  of  the  history  of  slavery,  and  of  its 
introduction  into  this  country,  and  proposes  a  plan  for  its 
removal ;  the  substance  of  which  is,  that  '  Congress 
make  a  proposition  to  the  several  slave  states  that  so 
much  per  head  shall  be  allowed  for  every  slave  that 
shall  be  emancipated,  leaving  it  to  the  state  legislatures 
respectively  to  adopt  their  own  measures  for  effecting 
the  object.'  The  objections  to  this  plan  are  next  con- 
sidered ;  and  then  follows  an  array  of  motives  to  eman- 
cipation, strong  enough,  one  would  think,  to  rouse  all 
but  the  dead  to  the  importance  of  the  task.  The  book 
is  written  in  a  most  earnest  spirit,  but  in  language  sin- 
gularly calm  and  moderate,  furnishing  an  excellent 
model,  in  this  respect,  for  all  who  write  on  either  side 
of  this  exciting  question.  In  these  later  writings  of  Dr. 
Bangs  there  is  no  diminution  of  vigor  in  style  or  of 
independence  in  thought."  With  the  exception  of  his 
brief  residence  at  Middletown,  Conn.,  he  lived  about 
forty-five  years  in  New  York  city  and  Brooklyn.  "No 
figure  has  been,"  adds  Dr.  M'Clintock,  "  better  known 
in  the  streets  of  the  great  city  than  his;  no  name  stands 
in  higher  repute.  His  unspotted  life,  his  simplicity  of 
character,  his  earnest  devotion  to  goodness  and  truth, 
and  his  no  less  earnest  hatred  of  wrong,  have  gained 
him  the  love  and  esteem  of  all  denominations  of  Chris- 
tians in  New  York;  while  his  intellectual  force  and 
energy  have  left  their  mark  upon  the  moral  condition  of 
the  city." 

"  His  old  age,"  says  Bishop  Janes,  "  was  beautiful. 
Exempt  from  official  cares,  surrounded  by  warm  and 
sympathizing  friends,  in  the  society  of  his  dutiful  and 
affectionate  children,  who  delighted  to  minister  to  his 
comfort  and  pleasure,  his  declining  years  passed  serenely 
and  sweetly  away.  Like  the  descending  sun  in  the 
western  sky,  disrobed  of  his  meridian  splendors  and 
deprived  of  his  noontide  fervor,  unclouded,  full-orbed, 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


413 


with  mellow  radiance  we  see  him  slowly  and  serenely 
descending  to  the  horizon  of  life.  Most  enchanting  was 
the  moral  beauty  with  which  his  cheerful,  holy  old  age 
was  invested." 

Unlike  most  old  men,  he  was,  to  the  last,  progressive 
in  his  views.  He  sympathized  with  all  well-considered 
measures  for  the  improvement  of  his  Church.  To  him 
its  history  was  all  providential,  and  the  very  necessity 
of  changes  was  the  gracious  summons  of  providence  for 
it  to  arise  and  shine  still  brighter.  He  was  especially 
zealous  to  promote  the  powers  and  activity  of  the  laity 
in  the  affairs  of  his  own  denomination.  His  hearty,  reso- 
lute love  of  his  friends  and  his  cause  was  one  of  the  strong- 
est, noblest  traits  of  the  venerable  and  war-worn  hero.  It 
made  him  as  lovable  as  he  was  loving.  His  old  age  seemed 
to  mellow  rather  than  wither  his  generous  dispositions. 
He  was  always  deeply  devout,  but  with  advanced  years 
he  seemed  to  attain  advanced  heights  of  Christian  expe- 
rience and  consolation.  The  Pauline  doctrine  of  sancti- 
fication,  as  defined  by  Wesley,  became,  as  we  have  seen, 
his  habitual  theme  of  interest  and  conversation.  He 
seemed  to  take  increasingly  cheerful  views  of  life,  nnd  of 
the  prospects  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  world,  as  he 
approached  the  end  of  his  career.  His  last  sermon  was 
on  the  certain  triumph  of  the  Gospel.  There  was  no 
querulousness  in  his  temper,  no  repining  in  his  conver- 
sation at  the  changes  which  were  displacing  him  from 
public  view,  no  invidious  comparison  of  the  present  with 
former  times. 

LAST  ILLNESS  HIS  DEPARTURE. 

"  His  last  illness  was  of  six  weeks  and  three  days'  du- 
ration. The  greater  part  of  the  time  his  sufferings  were 
acute.  Rut  his  resignation  and  fortitude  and  patience 
never  failed  him.  He  was  favored  with  the  full  posses- 
sion of  his  mental  faculties  to  the  last.  If  there  was 
any  exception  to  this  it  was  simply  from  lethargy,  which 


414 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


sometimes  overcame  him,  but  from  which  he  was  easily 
roused. 

"  His  religious  consolations  during  his  illness  were 
abundant,  and  at  times  his  joys  ecstatic.  He  remarked 
to  a  brother  minister  that  he  felt  that  his  work  was  all 
done ;  he  was  only  waiting  for  his  Lord,  and  could  rest 
till  he  came.    To  another  minister  he  said : 

" 1  The  promised  land,  from  Pisgah's  top, 

I  now  exult  to  see; 
My  hope  is  full  (0  glorious  hope  1) 

Of  immortality.' 

Then  with  emphasis  repeated,  '  I  noio  exult  to  see.' 
Then  again,  'I  now  exult  to  see.' 

"  One  afternoon  a  friend,  who  spent  much  time  with 
him  and  ministered  to  him  in  his  sickness,  entered  his 
room.  He  exclaimed:  'O  sister!  what  a  manifestation 
I  had  yesterday  afternoon.  It  was  glorious.  The  pres- 
ence of  Jesus  was  in  this  room,  and  it  was  all  light  and 
luminous.'  The  next  time  this  friend  called  he  referred 
to  the  circumstance  again.  Raising  both  hands,  he  ex- 
claimed: 'It  has  lighted  up  the  entire  way  to  heaven.' 
At  another  time,  speaking  to  the  same  person,  he  said : 
'  That  glorious  manifestation  was  unlike  anything  I  ever 
expected  to  witness  in  heaven  above  or  earth  beneath.' 
She  asked,  'Tell  me,  doctor,  what  it  was  like.'  'Don't 
ask  me,'  he  replied,  '  for  I  could  not  find  language  to 
tell  you;  but  it  has  brightened  up  everything.  My 
way  is  clear  into  heaven.  What  infinite  condescen- 
sion !  Boundless  mercy !  Jesus  is  very  precious,  un- 
speakably precious  !' 

"  He  spoke  to  many  others  of  this  special  revelation 
of  the  glory  of  God  to  him,  and  always  seemed,  when 
referring  to  it,  to  be  filled  with  unutterable  joy. 

"  On  the  9th  of  April  his  Conference  held  its  annual 
session  in  Waterbury,  Conn.  I  think  it  was  the  only 
time  of  his  absence  for  sixty  years.    As  soon  as  organ- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


415 


Ized,  it  sent  him  by  telegram  their  affectionate  greetings 
in  the  Lord. 

"  The  next  day  the  Conference  received  from  Lemuel 
Bangs,  Esq.,  the  following  telegram : 

"  '  My  father  received  the  greeting  of  the  Conference 
very  gratefully,  and  dictated  the  following  answer: 
"The  Lord  is  good.  I  have  received  such  an  over- 
whelming sense  of  his  goodness  as  I  cannot  express,  and 
it  remains  with  me  yet."  ' 

"  During  all  this  blessed  experience  he  was  careful  to 
ascribe  his  salvation  to  Christ.  To  one  friend  he  quoted 
with  tears  of  joy  this  verse  : 

" '  0  Love !  thou  bottomless  abyss, 

My  sins  are  swallowed  up  in  thee; 
Covered  is  my  unrighteousness, 

Nor  spot  of  guilt  remains  on  me, 
While  Jesus'  blood,  through  earth  and  skies, 
Mercy,  free,  boundless  mercy,  cries.' 

"  A  friend  who  watched  by  him  one  night  heard  him 
say :  '  Blessed  Jesus,  how  good  thou  art !  It  is  all  of 
mercy.  O  yes!  with  Wesley  I  can  say,  "  I  am  damned  ; 
but  Jesus  died  and  lives  again.  Because  he  lives,  I  shall 
live  also."  ' 

"  These  are  a  few  of  his  utterances  during  his  last  ill- 
ness, showing  how  he  gloried  in  the  cross  of  Christ,  and 
how  ecstatic  was  his  religious  joy. 

"  During  the  night  preceding  his  death  his  daughter 
said  to  him,  'Father,  God  is  love.'  Utterance  had 
failed  him.  With  most  expressive  signs  he  showed  that 
he  understood  her,  and  that  he  was  enraptured  with  the 
truth.  This  was  his  last  intelligible  communication  to  us 
while  in  the  body." 

On  Saturday  morning  Bishop  Janes  called  and  found 
liim  too  lethargic  for  conversation.  He  stepped  into 
an  adjacent  apartment  to  see  the  aged  consort  of 
the  doctor,  who  herself  has  long  been  a  sufferer  by 
chronic  illness.    On  his  return  he  observed  a  change  in 


416 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


the  countenance  of  the  venerable  patient,  which  indicated 
the  commencement  of  the  final  agony.  The  struggle 
extended  over  a  half  hour,  and  then,  at  a  quarter  before 
ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  in  the  midst  of  the 
assembled  family,  he  expired  without  pain,  without  a 
groan,  without  convulsive  motion,  and  probably  without 
consciousness — literally  fell  asleep — the  normal  death  of 
good  old  age,  and  a  Christian  exit — on  the  3d  of  May, 
1862,  one  day  after  his  eighty-fourth  birthday. 

FUNERAL. 

"  The  funeral  took  place,"  says  the  New  York  "Meth- 
odist," "on  Tuesday  afternoon  at  two  o'clock,  in  St. 
Paul's  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  It  was  crowded. 
Rev.  Drs.  Tyng,  (Protestant  Episcopal,)  De  Witt,  (Dutch 
Reformed,)  Spring,  (Presbyterian,)  Reicher,  (Moravian,) 
Rev.  Messrs.  Clark,  (New  York  East  Conference,)  Rich- 
ardson, (New  York  Conference,)  Porter,  (Newark  Con- 
ference,) President  Cummings,  (New  England  Confer- 
ence,) Cook  and  Kenney,  (deputed  from  the  Philadelphia 
Preachers'  Meeting,)  were  the  pall-bearers,  and  a  large 
number  of  his  brethren  in  the  ministry  were  in  attend- 
ance. The  services  at  the  church  were  a  voluntary  by 
the  choir;  reading  of  Scripture  lessons  by  Rev.  Dr.  Ste- 
vens ;  prayer  by  Rev.  Dr.  Osbon  ;  hymn  read  by  Rev. 
Dr.  Carlton ;  sermon  by  Rev.  Bishop  Janes." 

Hundreds  gazed  for  the  last  time  on  the  beloved 
face  in  the  coffin  before  the  altar.  He  was  then  conveyed, 
followed  by  a  numerous  procession  of  carriages,  to  Green- 
wood Cemetery,  where  he  rests  in  the  family  inclosure. 
At  the  latter  place  the  funeral  service  was  read  by  Rev. 
Dr.  Hagany.  This  part  of  the  solemnities  was  pecul- 
iarly impressive.  The  grave  is  on  the  summit  of  a 
hillock,  amid  some  of  the  finest  scenery  in  the  cemetery. 
The  hour  was  that  of  sunset ;  the  slant  rays  flooded  the 
surrounding  foliage  with  softened  hues;  quiet  was  falling 
on  all  things,  while  the  solemn  utterance  of  the  impressive 


NATHAN  BANGS.  D.D. 


417 


ritual  seemed  to  pass  with  peculiar  distinctness  through 
the  neighboring  glens,  already  reposing  in  the  twilight. 
As  the  assembly  retired  the  sun  sank  below  the  horizon, 
and  the  heavens,  to  the  very  zenith,  glowed  with  the 
most  magnificent  variegations  of  light.  Never  has  it 
been  our  privilege  to  record  a  more  blessed  death,  or 
more  beautifully  impressive  obsequies  than  those  of  this 
"  Prince  and  great  man  fallen  in  Israel." 

Many  aged  heads  of  lay  as  well  as  clerical  Method- 
ists could  be  seen  in  the  assembly  at  St.  Paul's.  Among 
them  was  that  of  the  venerable  Laban  Clark,  who  had 
come  from  Middletown,  Conn.,  to  follow  his  old  friend 
to  the  grave.  "  Precisely  fifty  years  ago  this  month," 
remarked  this  veteran,  "the  first  Delegated  Gen- 
eral Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was 
held  in  this  city  ;  Dr.  Bangs  and  myself  were  delegates ; 
I  am  now  the  only  New  York  Conference  delegate  who 
remains.  Daniel  Webb  is  the  only  Xew  England  dele- 
gate alive,  and  the  Xew  England  Conference  then  in- 
cluded all  Xew  England,  except  its  western  margin, 
which  belonged  to  Xew  York  Conference.  I  do  not 
know  of  one  surviving  delegate  from  the  Philadelphia 
Conference,  which  then  comprehended  Xew  Jersey  ;  of 
the  delegates  of  the  large  Baltimore  Conference,  Henry 
Smith,  of  'Pilgrims'  Rest,'  alone  lives.  The  only  other 
survivors,  so  far  as  I  know,  are  Bishops  Soule  and  Early 
and  Dr.  Lovick  Pierce,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South."  Dr.  Laban  Clark  is  but  a  few  months 
younger  than  Dr.  Bangs  ;  he  preceded  Dr.  Bangs  in  the 
ministry  about  one  year;  he  is  enjoying  a  green  old  age, 
and  may  remain  some  years  yet — one  of  the  last  rem- 
nants of  that  primitive  Methodist  ministry  which  has 
been  called  its  legio  tonans. 

HIS  CHARACTER. 

The  pulpits  and  papers  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and 
the  press  of  the  country  generally,  noticed  the  departure 
27 


418 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


of  the  aged  citizen  and  Christian,  with  emphatic  eulogies 
on  his  long  and  effective  life.  The  Missionary  Board 
published  a  grateful  testimony  of  his  services  as  one  of 
its  founders  and  most  assiduous  colaborers;  and  its 
periodical  organ  said  :  "  From  the  time  he  entered  the 
ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1802,  'he 
was  clad  with  zeal  as  a  cloak.'  Our  melancholy  province 
this  day  is  to  make  a  record  of  his  relation  to  the  Mis- 
sionary Society,  as  the  author  of  the  Constitution  under 
which  it  was  organized  on  the  5th  of  April,  1819,  as  the 
author  of  the  first  Address  and  Circular  which  it  issued 
to  the  Church,  and  as  its  steadfast  friend  and  laborer, 
until  called  to  enter  his  Master's  joy. 

"  At  the  time  of  its  organization  he  was  elected  the 
third  Vice-president,  Bishops  George  and  Roberts  being 
the  first  and  second.  In  the  course  of  a  year  or  two  he 
succeeded  Joshua  Soule  as  the  Treasurer  of  the  Society. 
In  April,  1836,  he  was  elected  the  fourth  Vice-presi- 
dent and  Corresponding  Secretary;  in  1838  the  resident 
Corresponding  Secretary.  In  1840  he  was  one  of  three 
corresponding  secretaries,  Rev.  Dr.  Capers  and  Rev.  E. 
R.  Ames  being  associated  with  him,  one  for  the  South, 
the  other  for  the  West.  In  1841,  removing  temporarily 
from  the  city,  his  active  connection  was  suspended.  Up 
to  this  time  it  is  probable  he  had  written  every  one  of 
the  Annual  Reports.  In  1848  we  find  him  again  taking 
an  active  part  in  the  doings  of  the  Society,  which  he  con- 
tinued to  do  down  to  the  monthly  meeting  in  February 
last.  It  is  supposed  that  he  never  missed  a  meeting, 
when  in  the  city,  from  the  very  first,  except  on  account 
of  sickness. 

"  The  receipts  of  the  treasurer  for  the  first  year  were 
$823  04  ;  the  amount  for  the  year  1861  was  $250,374  93  ; 
the  total  amount  of  receipts  from  the  beginning  to  the 
day  of  his  death  was  $4,569,094  95. 

"In  1819  we  had  no  missions  to  those  of  a  foreign 
tongue,  but  now  our  general  summary  shows  under  that 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


419 


head  316  missionaries  and  28,458  Church-members.  He 
commenced  his  course  as  a  missionary  himself  to  Can- 
ada, and  was  sent  to  the  Bay  of  Quinte,  when  there 
were  but  1,500  members  and  nine  ministers  besides  him- 
self iu  that  country,  all  of  whom  preceded  him  in  the 
passage  over  Jordan.  Now  the  Canada  "Wesleyans 
alone  number  53,564  members  and  476  ministers,  and 
there  are  also  18,250  members  and  ministers  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  in  Canada.  The  total  number  of 
members  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  America 
when  he  entered  the  ministry  was  72,874,  and  of  minis- 
ters 358.  The  total  number  of  members  at  his  death  is, 
including  the  probationers,  (without  any  reference  to 
those  Churches  which  have  gone  out  from  us,)  988,523, 
and  of  ministers,  effective  and  superannuated,  6,984. 
1  What  hath  God  wrought !'  This  prince  and  great 
man  in  our  Israel  not  only  started  with  our  Society,  be- 
ing one  of  its  principal  founders,  but  has  ever  been  our 
missionary  standard-bearer.  No  mission  has  been  started 
but  has  either  been  originated  by  him  or  had  his  hearty 
approval  and  zealous  support.  No  man  could  more 
properly  say,  though  no  one  would  be  less  likely,  to  say 
it  of  himself,  'The  zeal  of  thy  house  hath  eaten  me  up.'  " 
"I  have  known  him  for  upward  of  half  a  century," 
writes  Francis  Hall,  Esq.,  "  and  my  recollections  of  him 
are  of  the  most  pleasing  character.  He  was  perhaps  as 
well  known  among  other  denominations  as  any  of  our 
preachers  since  the  days  of  Asbury.  He  was  a  man  of 
prayer,  and  full  of  faith  in  the  promises  of  God.  I  re- 
member he  made  me  a  visit  during  a  sickness  in  which 
many  believed  I  should  not  recover.  I  had  been  visited 
by  several  old  friends  of  the  John-street  congregation, 
and  as  they  were  leaving  my  chamber  Dr.  Bangs  en- 
tered. He  conversed  with  me,  closing  with  prayer. 
Leaving  the  room,  he  said  to  Mrs.  Hall :  '  Mr.  Hall  will 
recover.'  I  heard  the  remark,  and  my  conviction  was 
immediately,  the  prayer  will  be  answered.    It  was  so : 


420 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


from  that  moment  I  recovered.  He  was  a  model  of 
punctuality,  whether  he  had  to  fill  the  pulpit  or  at- 
tend any  of  the  societies.  No  weather  prevented  his 
presence,  and  a  meeting  did  not  wait  for  a  quorum  in 
consequence  of  his  absence." 

It  would  be  superfluous  to  extend  this  volume  with 
any  particular  summary  of  his  life  and  character.  Both 
have  been  sufficiently  delineated  in  the  course  of  our 
narrative.  The  institutions  he  founded,  or  helped  to 
found,  and  the  productions  of  his  pen,  are  his  monuments. 
If  most  of  his  literary  works  may  not  take  permanent 
rank,  it  will  be  because  they  were  written  for  immediate, 
utility,  to  meet  cotemporary  wants,  and  are  there- 
fore, by  their  very  adaptations  to  their  purpose,  less 
adapted  to  the  demands  of  the  future.  His  robust  mind 
was  always  practical,  and  direct  in  its  aims.  He  did  the 
work  of  the  hour  for  the  wants  of  the  hour,  and  to  have 
done  otherwise,  by  an  anticipation  of  the  future,  would 
have  rendered  his  work  less  effective,  though  it  might 
have  rendered  it  more  durable. 

In  literature  his  name  will  be  chiefly  recognized  for 
his  History  of  the  Methodist  Episcoj>al  Church,  in  four 
volumes,  completed  in  1841.  It  was  a  book  for  the 
times,  if  not  for  all  time.  Methodism  had  now  reached 
numerical  supremacy  as  a  form  of  Protestantism  in  the 
nation.  Its  schemes,  domestic  and  foreign — ecclesiasti- 
cal, educational,  and  literary — had  become  gigantic ;  but 
though  now  the  predominant  religious  fact  and  interest 
of  the  country,  its  history  was  unwritten.  The  publicist, 
the  scholar,  the  churchman,  concerned  to  know  its  real 
character,  had  no  adequate  historical  resource  for  such 
information.  Lee's  -history  was  an  early  production ;  it 
could  claim  no  historic  rank  whatever;  it  could  only 
afford  assistance,  and  that  very  limited,  to  a  more  capable 
hand.  With  but  this  very  imperfect  example,  Dr. 
Bangs  undertook  the  task  of  preparing  a  full  history  of 
his  Church,  from  the  introduction  of  Methodism  into  the 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


421 


new  world  down  to  the  year  which  preceded  the  publi- 
cation of  his  last  volume.  None  but  he  who  has  at- 
tempted a  similar  task  can  conceive  of  its  difficulties — its 
perplexing,  wearisome  research  in  manuscript  documents, 
in  periodical  publications,  in  scattered,  meager  books  of 
biography,  journals  of  ministerial  travel,  controversial 
pamphlets,  in  Minutes  of  Annual  Conferences  for  sixty- 
seven  years,  proceedings  of  General  Conferences  for 
forty-four  years,  in  personal  or  local  manuscript  data, 
procured  by  correspondence  from  all  parts  of  the  country. 
And  then  the  study,  the  collocation,  the  harmonization 
"of  these  often  conflicting  materials,  the  delicate  care 
requisite  for  the  personal  feelings  and  reputations  of  living 
actors  in  the  long  and  varied  scene,  or  of  the  sympathies 
of  surviving  families  of  its  deceased  actors — such  are 
some  of  the  difficulties  we  must  bear  in  mind  in  estimat- 
ing this  important  service.  As  it  was  to  be  really  the 
first  "history"  of  the  Church,  it  must  of  necessity  be 
largely  a  documentary  compilation,  for  the  most  impor- 
tant documents  upon  which  it  was  to  be  founded  had  not 
yet  been  published.  This  fact  has  given  character  to  the 
work.  It  includes  in  its  text  whole  "reports"  of  public 
bodies,  rolls  of  names,  large  extracts  of  "  Minutes."  It 
could  hardly  have  been  satisfactorily  prepared  otherwise. 
It  is  thus  an  invaluable  repertory  of  historical  materials. 
Documentary  histories  of  the  kind  must  necessarily  pre- 
cede any  artistic  or  philosophic  historical  literature,  wheth- 
er of  States  or  Churches.  He  prepared  it,  as  he  did  all 
his  other  writings,  for  the  actual  necessity  of  his  Church. 
He  accomplished  his  purpose,  and  accomplished  it  better 
by  far  than  he  could  have  done  by  attempting  a  more 
artistic  work.  As  a  historian  of  the  Church  he  will  be 
immortal ;  he  must  forever  be  acknowledged  as  the  prin- 
cipal authority  of  all  future  historical  writers  on  Ameri- 
can Methodism,  and  if  his  volumes  ever  cease  to  be  the 
popular  manual  of  our  history,  his  name  must  never- 
theless incessantly  recur  as  an  authority  in  the  mar- 


422 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


ginal  acknowledgments  of  writers  who  may  super- 
sede him. 

Bishop  Janes,  who  knew  him  most  intimately  for  many 
years,  says:  "His  mind  was  comprehensive,  vigorous, 
versatile,  and  eminently  practical.  Mental  honesty  was 
his  crowning  glory.  In  all  his  discussions  he  employed 
no  metaphysical  subtleties,  no  sophistries,  but  candidly 
looked  every  question  in  the  face,  and  met  it  in  a  direct, 
frank,  ingenuous  manner. 

"His  moral  characteristics  were  beautiful.  He  was 
ardent,  affectionate,  sympathetic,  and  constant ;  an  earn- 
est, honest,  public-spirited  man  ;  a  true,  abiding  friend  ; 
a  loving,  devoted  husband,  and  an  affectionate  and  faith- 
ful parent. 

"His  Christian  excellences  were  many  and  great.  His 
experience  was  deep  and  positive.  He  enjoyed  an  abid- 
ing consciousness  of  the  favor  of  God.  His  devotement 
to  God  was  full  and  joyous.  He  counted  everything  but 
loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus 
the  Lord.  It  was  his  constant  aim  to  magnify  Christ, 
and  evidently  his  spiritual  life  was  hid  with  Christ  in 
God.  He  seemed  always  to  be  forgetting  the  things 
which  were  behind,  and  pressing  toward  the  mark  of  his 
high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.  Practically  he  was 
an  'example  of  the  believers  in  word,  in  conversation, 
in  charity,  in  spirit,  in  faith,  in  purity.' 

"  He  was  a  Methodist  from  conviction  and  preference. 
He  honestly  and  heartily  embraced  the  doctrines,  and 
cordially  approved  the  ecclesiastical  economy  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  These  profound  convic- 
tions of  the  scriptural  character  of  her  doctrines  and 
polity  made  him  a  staunch  defender  of  the  Church  of  his 
choice.  This  zeal  for  the  Methodistic  form  of  Christian- 
ity sometimes  involved  him  in  earnest  controversies  with 
persons  of  other  Churches.  He  said  to  me  during  his 
last  illness:  'I  have  had  many  sharp  controversies.  I 
have  sometimes  used  strong  and,  perhaps,  harsh  lan- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


423 


guage,  but  I  never  had  a  bitter  spirit.'  Dr.  Bangs,  with 
all  his  attachment  to  Methodism,  was  one  of  the  most 
catholic  Christian  men  in  spirit  and  sympathies  I  ever 
knew.  He  was  always  ready  to  say  from  the  heart, 
Grace  be  with  all  them  that  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
in  sincerity." 

Down  to  his  last  sickness  very  little  decay  of  his  mental 
faculties  was  discernible.  His  conversations,  his  ad- 
dresses in  social  religious  meetings,  his  occasional  writ- 
ings for  periodicals,  continued  to  show  much  of  his  old 
vigorous  judgment,  his  manly  sense,  his  direct,  honest 
utterance.  If  less  attention  to  style,  than  in  his  earlier 
years,  might  sometimes  be  apparent,  the  old  sound  head 
and  sound  heart  remained.  His  last  sermon  was  preached 
at  Seventeenth-street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church;  he 
sat  at  a  table  in  the  altar  while  delivering  it.  It 
was  heard  by  nearly  all  the  congregation ;  it  required 
considerable  effort  of  memory  in  the  citation  of  statistical 
facts,  but  there  was  no  faltering  of  even  that  faculty. 
The  whole  discourse  was  characterized  by  the  warm, 
strong,  demonstrative  qualities  of  his  earlier  preaching. 

In  person  Dr.  Bangs  was  tall,  robust,  but  not  corpu- 
lent ;  with  a  high  indented  brow,  crowned  for  many 
years  with  silvered  locks.  His  eyes  were  small,  and 
somewhat  deeply  set;  his  complexion  fresh,  and  often 
flushed  by  a  determination  of  blood  to  the  head ;  his 
voice  was  peculiar — a  sort  of  double  voice,  which  he  at- 
tributed, as  we  have  seen,  to  an  injury  of  his  lungs  by 
his  early  preaching  and  exposure,  after  a  serious  illness. 
In  its  finer  notes  it  had  a  silvery  melody,  but  in  its 
stronger  tones  there  was  a  hoarse  roughness  which,  with 
his  robust  attitude  and  flushed  aspect,  sometimes  gave 
to  the  hearer,  especially  in  controversial  discussions,  a 
false  impression  that  he  was  irritable  in  temper.  Thero 
was,  doubtless,  temper,  mettle  in  his  manly  and  vigor- 
ous nature ;  no  man  could  show  a  nobler  indignation 
against  anything  unrighteous  or  moan  ;  no  man  could 


424 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


speak  more  unflinchingly  or  directly  to  the  very  face  and 
teeth  of  a  pretentious,  an  evasive,  or  disingenuous  disput- 
ant, but  no  man  ever  had  a  more  genial  heart,  a  more  in- 
stinctive sympathy  with  whatever  is  generous,  heroic,  or 
tender.  His  friendships  were  as  steadfast  as  adamant. 
His  whole  nature  was  vigorous ;  lie  was  robust  in  intel- 
lect, in  soul,  and  in  body.  He  had  his  faults,  and,  like 
everything  else  in  his  strong  nature,  they  were  strongly 
marked.  But  if  he  was  abrupt  sometimes  in  his  replies, 
or  emphatic  in  his  rebukes,  no  man  was  ever  more  ready 
to  retract  an  undeserved  severity,  or  acknowledge  a  mis- 
take. This  excellence  was  as  habitual  with  him  as  it  is 
rare  with  most  men. 

For  some  years  the  late  Dr.  Francis,  his  friend  and 
"the  last  of  the  Knickerbockers;"  Dr.  Spring,  his  still 
surviving  friend,  and  himself,  have  been  the  three  most 
notable  representatives  among  us  of  the  elder  New  York. 
No  form  has  been  more  familiar,  more  venerated  in  our 
assemblies,  or  on  our  streets,  than  that  of  Nathan  Bangs. 
The  early  Methodists,  remnants  of  whom  are  still  scat- 
tered, with  gray  heads  and  tottering  frames,  among  our 
numerous  Churches,  felt  that  he  continued  to  be,  in  an 
endearing  sense,  their  old  pastor,  the  pastor  of  their 
fathers  and  of  their  childhood.  Their  decayed  eyes 
glistened  whenever  he  appeared  in  their  pulpits,  and 
their  trembling  hands  grasped  his,  with  the  ardor  of 
earlier  years,  when  he  passed  down  their  aisles.  He  fell 
among  them,  almost  the  last  primitive  pillar  of  the  struc- 
ture of  Methodism;  to  them,  then,  more  than  ever,  "old 
things  had  passed  away  ;  behold  !  all  things  had  become 
new ;"  and  more  than  ever  did  they  then  feel  that  they 
too  must  go  hence,  that  their  "company  had  gone  be- 
fore," and  they  themselves  "  desired  to  depart." 

The  final  estimate  of  such  a  man  is  not  difficult.  If 
we  cannot  award  to  him  the  greatness  of  what  is  called 
genius,  we  cannot  deny  him  the  greatness  of  an  effective 
life — a  life  of  inestimable  effectiveness.    Nor  can  we  at- 


NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


425 


tribute  his  effectiveness  merely  to  what  are  called  cir- 
cumstances. Circumstances  are,  perhaps,  as  requisite  for 
the  success  of  genius  as  for  that  of  any  other  ability. 
Genius,  so-called,  has  usually  peculiar  infirmities,  requir- 
ing peculiar  incentives  and  supports.  It  is  not  the  lack 
of  available  circumstances  that  subjects  so  much  of 
human  life  to  inferiority  or  mediocrity,  but  the  lack  of 
moral  dispositions  to  use  rightly  actual  circumstances. 
There  are  few  public  positions,  especially  such  as  the 
Christian  teacher  or  preacher  occupies,  which  might  not 
be  rendered  superior  or  distinguished  if  sustained  by 
proper  moral  dispositions,  aside  from  any  extraordinary 
intellectual  powers.  The  circumstances  necessary  for 
success  ar^  seldom  if  ever  wanting  to  the  man  of  earnest 
conscience  and  resolute  purpose.  He  is  the  great  man 
who,  though  of  ordinary  talents,  energetically  avails 
himself  of  his  circumstances  ;  he  the  yet  greater  man 
who,  in  lack  of  favorable  circumstances,  creates  them, 
and  then  avails  himself  of  them.  Nathan  Bangs  did 
both.  A  profoundly  religious  conscience,  tireless  in- 
dustry, unwavering  perseverance,  the  ready  acceptance 
of  the  duty  of  the  day  or  the  hour,  whatever  it  might 
be — these,  inspirited  by  a  fervent  religious  zeal,  rather 
than  by  what  is  vaguely  called  the  inspiration  of  genius, 
characterized  his  life.  And  they  made  that  life  genuinely 
great — great  in  goodness,  the  supreme  greatness ;  but 
great  also  in  what  is  conventionally,  but  fallaciously,  con- 
sidered still  superior  greatness — great  in  practical  suc- 
cess. It  was  not,  therefore,  by  convenient  accident  or 
"good  fortune"  that  he  became  prominently  connected 
with  so  many  Christian  achievements  of  our  century, 
achievements  which  promise  to  shed  ever-increasing 
luster  upon  his  grave.  Doubtless  there  were  many  men 
in  the  ministry  of  his  Church  during  his  day  who  had 
intellectual  powers  or  genius  superior  to  his  own  ;  but 
who  among  them  has  had  a  superior  life,  a  life  more 
pregnant  with  salutary  results?    The  legitimate  answer 


426      LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF  NATHAN  BANGS,  D.D. 


to  the  question  is  obvious,  and  its  legitimate  lesson  is  too 
obvious  to  need  a  further  word  of  comment. 

Singularly  effective,  definitive,  and  symmetrical  in  his 
life — in  the  struggles  and  self-discipline  of  his  youth,  the 
activity  and  success  of  his  manhood,  the  sanctity  and 
peace  of  his  old  age — we  take  our  leave  of  him  at  the 
grave,  assured  that  it  has  been  good  for  the  world  that 
he  lived,  and  good  for  us  that  we  have  traced  the  lessons 
of  his  life. 


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12rao. 

Giving  true  and  interesting  biographical  sketches  of  the  following 
distinguished  divines:  John  Cotton,  Richard  Mather,  Roger  Williams, 
Inerease  Mather,  Cotton  Mather,  Eleazer  Mather,  John  Warham,  Jesse 
Lee,  Jonathan  Edwards,  Elijah  Iledding,  Timothy  Dwight,  Wilbur  Fisk, 
Ezra  Stiles,  Lemuel  Ilaynes,  Billy  llibbard,  Timothy  Merritt,  Jonathan 
1).  Bridge,  Nathaniel  Emmons,  Joshua  Crowell,  (ieorge  l'ickcrin",  Stephen 
OHn. 


THE  CHRISTIAN  LAWYER: 

Being  a  Portraiture  of  the  Life  and  Character  of  William 
George  Baker. 

12mo. 

This  is  a  well  written  memoir,  and  deserves  to  be  generally  read.  A 
good  holiday  gift-book  for  our  legal  friends. 

~  LIFE  OF  DR.  ADAM  CLARKE. 

By  Rev.  J.  W.  Etiieridge,  M.A. 
With  a  Portrait.  12mo. 

The  volume  contains  about  five  hundred  pages,  and  is  ornamented  with 
ftn  excellent  likeness  of  its  distinguished  subject.  No  one  can  understand 
fully  the  great  commentator  and  the  secret  of  his  greatness  without  read- 
ing this  book.  It  should  be  bought  and  read  through  the  whole  Church, 
and  through  the  whole  community.  The  book  should  be  in  every  li- 
brary, public  and  private.    The  doctor  belonged  to  the  whole  world. 

THE  IMMORTALITY  OF  THE  SOUL 

And  the  Final  Condition  of  tbe  Wicked  carefully  considered. 
By  Rev.  Robert  W.  Landis. 

12mo. 

"  As  a  whole,  it  is  worthy  of  men  praise." — X.  }'.  FcangtHst. 


PUBLISHED  BY  CARLTON  &  PORTER. 

200  Mulberry-street,  New  York. 


Compendium  of  Methodism. 

A  Compendium  of  Methodism  :  embracing  the  History  and  Pres- 
ent Condition  of  its  various  Branches  in  all  Countries;  with  a 
Defense  of  its  Uoetrinal,  Governmental,  and  Prudential  Pecu- 
liarities.   By  liev.  Jam i;s  Porter,  D.D.    Revised  edition. 
12mo.,  pp.  501. 

This  work  has  received  universal  favor.  Tim  facts  that  our  bishops  have  put 
It  in  the  course  of  study  for  preachers,  and  that  it  has  been  translated  into 
the  German  and  Scandinavian  lan^ua^es,  commend  it  to  the  confidence  of  all 
Methodists.  In  |iceuliar  advantages  are.  1.  '1  hat  it  {jives  a  connected  1mm. .ry  of 
Methodism  IVo. ii  the  beginning  in  nil  countries,  and  in  all  its  denominations. 


means  of  grace  and  other  peculiarities  as  no  other  book  does.  It  is  a  whole 
library  in  one  volume,  and  is  a  tabor-saving  as  well  as  a  money-saving  pro- 
duction. Its  importance  to  preachers  and  others  is  indicated  by  the  following 
testimonials : 

It  is,  in  fact,  a  digest  of  Methodism.  The  arrangement  and  execution  of  the 
several  parts  are  admirable.  The  style  is  a  model  of  perspicuity,  ease,  and  vigor; 
and  in  point  of  condensation,  the  volume  is  literally  crowded  with  important 
matter.  We  have  hardly  seen  as  great  compactness  without  confusion,  or  an 
equal  number  (if  pages  from  w  hieii  so  few  could  be  eliminated  without  detriment. 
Hut  what  is  far  mere  important  than  the  mode  of  composition  is  the  spirit  which 
pervades  the  work.  The  author  writes  with  that  candid  discrimination  so  essen- 
tial to  the  proper  discussion  of  the  topics  which  he  handles.— Ed.  of  North.  Adv. 

This  work  is  a  valuable  acquisition  to  our  Church  literature.  It  embodies 
much  important  information,  arranged  in  a  natural  and  convenient  form,  and 
affords  a  good  general  outline  of  Methodism.  It  is  a  work  of  much  merit.  I  do 
cheerfully  commend  it,  as  a  whole,  io  tin-  favorable  consideration  of  our  friends 
and  the  public  generally. — T.  Morris,  Bishop  of  M.  E.  Church. 

I  like  the  book  much.  It  will  do  good.  Our  people  and  friends  ought  to  read 
and  study  it  thoroughly.  It  furnishes  a  satisfactory  answer  to  the  petty  objec- 
tions urged  against  the  Methodists  by  a  set  of  ecclesiastical  croakers  with  w  hich 
we  are  every  w  here  beset.  One  gentleman,  whom  I  let  have  a  copy,  after  reading 
it  carefully,  remarked,  "It  is  the  book  needed  ;  I  would  not  take  twenty  dollar! 
for  my  copy  if  I  could  not  obtain  another."— Rev.  Justin  Sp.vui.ding. 

I  have  just  finished  the  reading  of  this  book,  and  I  wish  to  express  my  decided 
dpprobation  of  iu  It  should  be  a  family  honk,  a  Sundav-school  book,  and  I  would 
add  especially,  a  text-book  for  all  candidate*  for  the  ministry.— J.  T.  Plck.  D.D. 

The  work  throughout  is  not  a  criticism  *n  Methodist  usages,  but  a  statement 
and  defense  of  them.  As  such,  »  e  trust  it  will  meet  »  ith  the  w  ide  circulation  it 
deserves,  both  in  and  out  of  the  Church. — Methodist  Quarterly  Review. 

We  have  examined  the  book,  and  most  cordially  recommend  our  friends,  ona 
and  all,  to  procure  it  immediately.  No  Methodist  can  study  it  without  profit, 
and  gratitude  to  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  for  the  wisdom  imparted  to  those 
who  have  been  the  instruments  employed  in  constructing  the  rules  anil  regula- 
tions under  which  the  operations  of  this  most  successful  branch  of  the  Church 
are  conducted. — Editor  if  the  Christian  Guardian,  Toronto. 

It  is  precisely  the  volume  needed  to  instruct  our  people  in  the  peculiarities  ol 
our  system.  The  special  character  of  Methodism  is  here  developed  in  such  a 
manner  M  to  show  that  it  is  Bpocially  excellent,  and  worthy  of  special  zeal  an1 
special  sacrifices.  It  is  very  systematically  arranged,  and  therefore  convenient 
for  reference  on  any  given  point.  To  the  Methodist,  especially  the  "  official" 
Methodist,  this  book  is  fitted  to  be  a  complete  manual ;  and  to  ail  others  who 
would  understand  what  Methodism  precisely  is,  as  a  whole,  or  in  any  specific 
as  an  ACKNOWLEDGED 


BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY  CARLTON  &  PORTER, 
200  Mulberry-Street,  New  York. 


Harmony  of  Divine  Dispensations. 

Harmony  of  the  Divine  Dispensations.  Being  a  Series  of  Dis- 
courses on  Select  Portions  of  Holy  Scripture,  designed  to  show 
the  Spirituality,  Efficacy,  and  Harmony  of  the  Divine  Revelations 
made  to  Mankind  from  the  Beginning.  With  Notes,  Critical, 
Historical,  and  Explanatory.  By  GEORGE  Smith,  F.  A.  S., 
Member  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society,  of  the  Koyal  Society  of 
Literature,  Fellow  of  the  Genealogical  and  Historical  Society, 
etc.,  etc. 

8vo.,  pp.  319. 

This  is  a  new  work,  being  reprinted  from  the  London  edition  to  corre- 
spond with  the  "Patriarchal  Age,"  "Hebrew  People,"  and  "Gentile 
Nations,"  by  the  same  distinguished  author.  It  will  be  sold  in  connection 
with  the  others,  or  separately.  It  is  a  profound  work,  and  will  have  t. 
large  sale. 

Lady  Huntingdon  Portrayed. 

Including  Brief  Sketches  of  some  of  her  Friends  and  Co-laborers. 
By  the  Author  of  "  The  Missionary  Teacher,"  "  Sketches  of  Mis- 
sion Life,"  etc. 

Large  16mo.,  pp.  319. 

Hibbard  on  the  Psalms. 

The  Psalms  Chronologically  Arranged,  with  Historical  Intro- 
ductions, and  a  General  Introduction  to  the  whole  Book.  B.y 
F.  G.  Hibbakd. 
8vo.,  pp.  589. 


This  book  occupies  an  important  place  in  Biblical  interpretation,  and 
is  a  valuable  contribution  to  Biblical  literature. 

The  Object  of  Life: 

A  Narrative  Illustrating  the  Insufficiency  of  the  World,  and  the 
Sufficiency  of  Christ.    With  four  Illustrations. 
Large  16mo. 

The  Living  Way; 

Or,  Suggestions  and  Counsels  concerning  some  of  the  Privileges 
and  Duties  of  the  Christian  Life.    By  Rev.  John  Atkinson. 
16mo.,  pp.  139. 


BOOKS  PUBLISHED  J3Y  CARLTON  &  PORTER, 
200  Mulberry-street,  New  York. 


Ministering  Children. 

A  Story  showing  how  even  a  Child  may  be  as  a  Ministering  Angel 
cf  Love  to  the  Poor  and  Sorrowful. 
Large  16mo.,  pp.  542. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  moving  narrations  in  the  whole  list  of  our  pub- 
lications. Its  sale  in  England  has  reached  Forty  Thousand  copies.  Ths 
Illustrated  edition  contains  more  than  a  dozen  superb  cuts  on  plate  paper. 

Life  in  the  Itinerancy; 

In  its  Relation  to  the  Circuit  and  Station,  and  to  the  Minister's 
Home  and  Family. 
12mo ,  pp.  335. 

Life  in  the  Laity; 

Or,  the  History  of  a  Station.    By  Rev.  L.  D.  Davis,  Author  ot 
"  Life  in  the  Itinerancy." 
16mo.,  pp.  200. 

Chart  of  Life. 

By  Rev.  James  Porter,  D.D. 
12mo.,  pp.  259. 

The  design  of  this  book  is  to  indicate  the  dangers  and  securities  con- 
uected  with  the  voyage  of  life,  all  which  are  accurately  and  admirably 
described. 

Heroines  of  Methodism ; 

Or,  Pen  and  Ink  Sketches  of  the  Mothers  and  Daughters  of  the 
Church.    By  Rev.  George  Coles. 
12mo.,  pp.  336. 

Heroes  of  Methodism. 

Containing  Sketches  of  Eminent  Methodist  Ministers,  and  Char- 
acteristic Anecdotes  of  their  Personal  History.  By  Rev.  J.  B. 
Wakeley.  With  Portraits  of  Bishops  Asbury,  Coke,  and 
WKendree. 

12mo.,  pp.  470. 

Life-like  and  interesting  sketches  of  early  Methodist  preachers,  their 
toils,  hardships,  and  achievements,  interspersed  with  anecdotes  livelj 
mud  entertaining. 


BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY  CARLTON  &  PORTER, 

200  Mulberry-street,  New  York. 

Elements  of  Logic. 

Adapted  to  the  Capacity  of  younger  Students,  and  designed  for 
Academies  and  the  Higher  Classes  of  Common  Schools.  Re- 
vised edition.    By  Rev.  C.  K.  True.  D.D. 


Wo  are  glad  to  see  that  this  excellent  hand-book  is  being  introduced  into  many 
schools  and  seminaries.  If  our  friends  connected  with  school  committees  through 
the  country  wil  take  a  little  pains  they  may  introduce  it  into  thousands  of  schools 
with  advantage  to  all  concerned. 

We  believe  that,  with  a  treatise  as  simple  as  Dr.  True's,  all  college  students  might 
understand  logic,  and  the  higher  classes  of  our  academies  and  grammar  schools  be 
emboldened  to  study  it;  while  the  study  of  the  treatises  in  ordinary  use  is  now  almost 
wholly  confined  to  colleges,  and  the  understanding  of  them  to  a  small  percentage 
of  each  class.  We  give  the  hook,  therefore,  our  cordial  commendation.  It  is  short 
and  simple,  not  because  it  is  shallow  and  superficial,  but.  because  the  author  has  the 
mastery  of  his  science,  knows  how  it  ought  to  be  taught,  perceives  the' utility  of  its 
study  to  all  persons  of  intelligence  and  culture,  and  has  adapted  his  presentation  of  it 
to  this  so  desirable  end.—  North  American  Review. 

This  is  a  thorough  popular  treatise  on  the  Elements  of  Logic,  the  best  undoubt- 
edly in  the  market  for  schools  and  colleges.  Those  who  have  not  had  the  advant- 
ages of  schools  would  do  well  to  give  it  a  thorough  study. — Zioii's  Herald. 

Clergyman's  Pocket  Diary  and  Visiting  Book. 

Arranged  by  James  Porter,  D.D. 


ITere  we  have  an  admirable  memorandum  book,  the  want  of  which  has  been  felt, 
we  venture  to  say,  very  generally  by  our  ministerial  brethren.  It  contains  the  fol 
lowing  departments :  Funerals  attended,  sermons  preached,  alphabetical  list  of  mem- 
bers, alphabetical  list  of  probationers,  alphabetical  list  of  friends  not  members,  record 
of  baptisms,  record  of  marriages,  subscribers  for  periodicals,  cash  accounts,  general 
accounts,  general  memorandum,  etc.— Canada  Christian  Advocate. 

Parkerism : 

Three  Discourses  delivered  on  the  occasion  of  the  Death  of 
Theodore  Parker.  By  W.  F.  Warren,  Fales  H.  Newiiall, 
and  Gilbert  LIaven. 

12mo. 

The  discourses  before  us  are  worthy  of  being  preserved  In  a  permanent  form. 
They  were  elicited  in  consequence  of  the  death  of  a  man  who  had  acquired  a  world- 
wide reputation.  In  this  volume  we  have  truthful  delineations,  clear  conceptions, 
ami  weighty  arguments,  and  throughout  there  is  a  remarkable  exemplification  of  Mr. 
Parker's  own  \\  ords,  namely,  "  I  am  no  flatterer  nor  public  liar  general ;  when  such 
a  one  Is  wanted  he  is  easily  found,  and  may  be  had  cheap;  and  I  cannot  treat  great 
men  like  great  babies.  So,  when  I  preached  on  Mr.  Adams,  who  had  done  the  cans* 
of  freedom  snch  srreat  service,  on  General  Taylor  and  Mr.  Webster,  I  aimed  to  paint 
them  exactly  as  they  were,  that  their  virtues  might  teach  us  and  their  vices  wtra." 
—  Canada  Christian  Advocate. 


DATE  DUE 

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